Police Not Amused by Specialty License Plates, Report Says : Law enforcement: Three-quarters of officers in state favor regular design because it is easiest to read. But beneficiaries of plates defend them.

Specialty license plates for cars are a hit with motorists and the groups that benefit from their sales, but not with police officers.

A state task force studying special interest plates found that about three-quarters of the officers surveyed statewide believe that California should have only one license plate design.

The survey determined that nearly all officers find the regular state vehicle license plate the easiest to read.

The task force concluded that the proliferation of plates is hindering officers and witnesses in identifying the numbers and the state of origin.

The group called for a moratorium on legislative approval of more specialized plates or a restriction on the type of graphic designs that can be used.

“My major complaint with these plates is that they hamper law enforcement and that’s what plates are for--law enforcement,” said state Sen. Quentin Kopp (I-San Francisco), who coauthored a resolution calling for the study.

Kopp said he will work against issuance of any more special interest license plate designs and will introduce a bill to establish plate design criteria.

But organizations benefiting from the plates defend them.

“When the Legislature and the governor approve a law and people are successful at implementing it, they should be left alone,” said Keith Schiller of the Yosemite Foundation.