Throughout the Milwaukee area, there has been a rash of thefts of vehicle license plate renewal stickers. This is thought to be the result of the increased state registration fees and theft of the stickers is a quick way to avoid the registration fee.

Thefts range from “peeling” off a stack of existing labels to “clipping” the entire corner of the metal license plate. The stolen license plate corners or the stickers themselves (removing layers of built up stickers so the top one doesn’t break) can cost you in a few ways: (1) There’s the cost of a new sticker (in some instances a new sticker is provided free by the State of Wisconsin if you can prove prior registration) and (2) The inconvenience of being stopped by police for failure to register a vehicle.

Here are a couple of tips to reduce your chances of being a victim of this crime:

• If you receive new renewal stickers, place them in the center of the plate (upper or lower edge). It’s much harder to clip the plate if the stickers aren’t in the corner.
• Purchase a metal license plate frame to protect against clipping of the corner of the plate
• Prior to adhering a new sticker to your plate, remove the built up stack of old stickers. Fewer stickers in a stack makes theft more difficult.
• Protect the built up stack of old stickers by taking a razor blade and running a combination of 6-9 deep vertical and horizontal cuts through the stack. This way, if someone tries to peel off the stack, they will only get a portion of the sticker with the remainder of the stack staying in tact. The thief will then give up.