http://www.ocregister.com/articles/dmv-police-confidential-2011354-program-records

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It's 1:45 p.m. on a Wednesday in February and a Toyota Camry is driving
west on the 91 Express Lanes, for free, for the 470th time.

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They've never received a violation notice in the mail, either. Their car
is registered as part of a state program which hides their home address
on Department of Motor Vehicles records. The agency that operates the
tollway does not have legal access to their address.

Their Toyota is one of 996,716 vehicles registered to motorists who are
affiliated with 1,800 state and local agencies and who are allowed to
shield their addresses under the Confidential Records Program.

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.Vehicles with protected license plates can run through dozens of
intersections controlled by red light cameras and breeze along the 91
toll lanes with impunity.

.Parking citations issued to vehicles with protected plates are often
dismissed because the process necessary to pierce the shield is too
cumbersome.

.Some patrol officers let drivers with protected plates off with a
warning because the plates signal that the drivers are "one of their
own" or related to someone who is.

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"They've exempted themselves from the rules they're enforcing," said
Chad Dornsife, director of the Best Highway Safety Practices Institute.
"They know it, is what's really sick about this. This isn't some
surprise that when the camera comes out they don't have to worry about
it."

Proponents of the program argue that confidential plates offer a
necessary protection.

"I would highly doubt that anybody is registering their vehicles on a
confidential basis to do anything but protect themselves," Garden Grove
Police Capt. Mike Handfield said. "I just don't think people are
thinking they're getting away with anything..Is the value of having a
confidential plate and protecting the law enforcement community from
people who might hurt them, is that worth that risk? I believe it is."

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This year, Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, D-Alameda, is sponsoring a bill
that would add some zoo veterinarians, animal control agency workers and
humane society shelter workers to the program. After introducing the
bill, he added firefighters and code enforcement officers, as well. He
said the union that represents those workers . the American Federation
of County Municipal Employees . asked for the protection to stave off
retribution from criminals, such as people who run criminal dog fighting
rings.

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