re: driver's license on smartphone - iowa

quote:

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I'm thinking it is getting to the point that they know who we are and whether we are insured or not anyway

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Cops have laptops in their cars that display that kind of information. They're able to see the same information dispatchers are able to see when they run your info. Cops (at least here in Arkansas) run your name through two systems, one is the National Crime Information Center (NCIC); the second is the state database (in Arkansas its ACIC).


Depending on the state, insurance companies may be required to notify the state in which you reside in your status as an insured motorist. If you're uninsured, it will usually return back as "unavailable" or "no insurance on record".


They're able to pull up your driving record, local and state criminal record, check the NCIC database to see if you have a warrant in another state, and view any warnings put on your record, whether its an officer safety warning, drug warning, or sexual predator warning. They're also able to run the license plate against the state database to see who the vehicle is registered to, they can check VIN and serial numbers to see if any part of a vehicle is stolen, or run a serial number on a gun against the NCIC database to see if its stolen. So yes, cops can essentially know all their is to know about you if they wanted to.