Condential license plates

How they work

According to the Department of Licensing, the state's condential license plate program "is designed to protect undercover law enforcement activities, to protect the safety of government workers or elected o cials doing their jobs." The program is limited to law enforcement, statewide elected o cials, state treasurer employees transporting money and for any other public o cer or public employee when recommended by the chief of the Washington State Patrol. There are two kinds of condential plates: "undercover" plates are registered to a fake name, and "condential" plates are registered to the address of the government agency using them.

WASHINGTON

123 ABC
EVERGREEN STATE

5,000

WASHINGTON

NOV. 2013

4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 0

4,384

4,744

1,311
1982

1,622
1984 2008 2012

EVERGREEN STATE
Condential plates
Condential and undercover plates look like all other plates. The di erence is in how they are registered.

The plate numbers

Since the law's inception in 1975, the number of condential license plates on government vehicles has steadily grown. While the Department of Licensing does not keep data on the number issued per year, other media organizations, including the Kitsap Sun, have requested the numbers in the past.

What the chiefs drive

Kitsap County Sheri Steve Boyer 2007 Ford Crown Victoria Condential Plate? No Kitsap County Undersheri Dennis Bonneville 2007 Ford Crown Victoria Condential Plate? Yes
*Resigned in September Sources: State Department of Licensing and Seattle Times archives

WASHINGTON
Bainbridge Island Police Chief Jon Fehlman* 2011 Ford Expedition Condential plate? Yes Bremerton Police Chief Craig Rogers 2008 Ford Taurus Condential plate? Yes Poulsbo Police Chief Dennis Swiney
M T
EVERGREEN STATE

2011 Chevy Tahoe Condential plate? No Port Orchard Police Chief Al Townsend 2013 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Condential plate? Yes

Exempt plates
Government vehicles in Washington typically have sets of "exempt" license plates, denoted by a small vertical "XMT" on the left side of the plate. Government vehicles belonging to counties end with a "C"; ones belonging to municipalities end in "D."
Graphic by Jon Williams | For the Kitsap Sun