St. Mary's Co. Keep Handicap Placards Safe when not in Use

newsBot · Dec 14, 2022

The St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office has responded to reports of handicap parking placard thefts this month, stolen from parked vehicles in residential areas.

Sheriff Steven A. Hall reminds citizens who use handicap parking placards to keep them in a safe and secure place when not in use. To prevent theft, do not leave the placard out in prominent view when not being used for handicap parking.

To prevent motor vehicle burglaries in general, keep your vehicle doors locked and keep valuables out of sight.

According to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, "You must remove all hanging placards from the rearview mirror while your vehicle is in motion. You must always have your copy of the medical certification in your possession whenever you use the placard or plates. This certification must be presented to law enforcement upon request. To discourage theft, please conceal your placard when it is not in use."

"Anyone committing fraud or misrepresenting themselves when applying for or using a parking placard for people with disabilities is subject to a fine of up to $500. If disability conditions are not met, the plate/placards may be revoked," according to the Maryland MVA.

Report thefts to the St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office at 301-475-8008 or online at https://www.firstsheriff.com/citizenreport/

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.