Non-Passenger License Plates
Page IV: Government-Owned Types
| Police Dept. |
| D.C. Government | First Issued: 1927 |
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When letter prefixes began to be used on District of Columbia license plates in 1927 the letter A was reserved for plates operated by the District and federal governments. No evidence has been found to suggest that distinctively-marked plates were provided for government-owned vehicles prior to 1927. As shown with 1936 plate no. 10-300 above, by that year the types (D.C. and U.S. Government) had been separated, a change that probably occurred in 1935 when the system of using letter prefixes to differentiate types was discarded.
The undated baseplate thought to have been introduced in the late 1960s, represented in the images above by plate no. SE-894, includes a two-letter prefix indicating the agency to which it was assigned. Identified prefixes and the corresponding departments are: BE, Board of Education; DC, Dept. of Corrections; FC, Federal City College; GF, (unknown agency); GS, General Services; HT, Highways and Traffic; PW, Public Welfare; and SE, Sanitary Engineering.
| D.C. Government Motorcycle | First Issued: unknown |
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As of early 2008 it was found that many motorcycles operated by the D.C. Police Dept. are registered with private passenger cycle plates, and what parameters (if any) dictate what type of plate will be displayed on various vehicles operated by the police department are unknown. That the plate pictured is the motorcycle version of D.C. Government (Fleet) type pictured above is indicated by the identical registration number configuration: "DC" followed by four numbers. |
This rare current type has been only seen used on police motorycles, but due to the plate not being marked Police it could, at least theoretically, be used on cycles operated by other city government departments. The city name, Washington, D.C., is printed across the top in blue. It is unknown whether the example pictured is representative of a new registration and plate type or a newer base of an existing type. | D.C. Water and Sewer Authority | First Issued: 2001 |
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| This type is thought to have been introduced in 2001. The Authority's logo includes an outline of the District with DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA and WATER AND SEWER AUTHORITY printed in small letters on the northwest and northeast borders. DC GOVT is printed in larger letters below the logo, although the letters DC, printed in outline characters in red on plates with an embossed number and blue on flat plates, are barely legible. |
| Fire Department | Earliest Known: 1950s |
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Tracing the history of this type is difficult due to the small quantity of plates issued throughout the years and the lack of a year designation on them. Fire Dept. plates have always been white on red, issued in pairs, and included the FIRE DEPT. type designation. It has been assumed that these plates were introduced during the 1930s when Police Dept. plates are thought to have first been issued.
In addition to regular serially-numbered plates, special plates with only letters are made for use by department officials. For example, FC is used by the chief, DFC by the deputy chief, etc. Plates used on ambulances operated by the department have an AMB prefix to the number.
| Police Dept. | Earliest Known: 1940s |
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It's difficult to determine the age of most Washington, D.C. Police Dept. license plates simply because they have always been undated. The type is believed to have been issued at least as early as the mid-1930s based upon the existence of a sample from that era. However, the earliest identifed used plate is from the 1940s. Plates of this type have always been issued singly and, until recently, were always painted white on blue.
The earliest D.C. police plates are numbered with up to four figures, and on some of them the first digits signify to which of the city's then 14 police precincts the vehicle was assigned. Plate no. 82 pictured, which is steel and appears to have not been used, is an example. On the back is a typed label, believed to have been added by a plate collector, indicating that it is of the type issued and used prior to 1972 and that the number indicates issuance in the 8th precinct (Georgetown) to scout (patrol car?) no. 2.
In 1973 the District's police precincts were redefined and renamed districts, and it was at this time that police registration numbers were reformatted to be comprised of five numbers, the first two of which indicate the model year of the registered vehicle. Numbers 88078 and 97011 are examples.
| Police Motorcycle | Earliest Known: 1950s |
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Like Police Dept. plates issued for use on full-size vehicles, motorcycle plates of this type have always been issued singly, and until recently they were painted white on blue. On plates with a five-number format, such as nos. 73191 and 81492 pictured, the first two numbers are believed to indicate the vehicle model year. Note the different legends on these two examples. (See also D.C. Government section above.) The MP-prefix plate is, based upon its dimesions and dies, believed to be from the 1960s or early 1970s.
| Metro Police | First Issued : unknown |
This may be a Maryland, not D.C., type. |
This type is issued exclusively to the Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (the "Metro") for use on its vehicles used in law enforcement. Like similar authorities that exist in other parts of the Untied States, such as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Metro was created to design, construct, maintain, and manage the operation of a public transportation system comprised priamrily of buses, trains, and subways that serve more than one registration-issuing jurisdiction. The Metro owns property in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C, hence the need for a quasi-public entity not under the control of any one state or the District of Columbia.
Metro police vehicles are used to patrol various properties under the Authority's control. Note that the plates are not marked with the name of any jurisdiction. In which of the three jurisdictions in which the Metro owns property Metro Police vehicles are actually registered is unknown, so it is entirely possible that this actually is not a Washington D.C. registration and plate type at all. In fact, the plate most closely resembles law enforcement-related types issued in Maryland, so this may be a Maryland, not D.C., registration type.
| U.S. Government | First Issued: 1927 |
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When letter prefixes began to be used on District of Columbia license plates in 1927 the letter A was reserved for plates operated by the District and federal governments. (An example is shown above.) No evidence has been found to suggest that distinctively-marked plates were provided for government-owned vehicles prior to 1927. The types (D.C. and U.S. Government) had been separated by 1936, with the type name clearly embossed, a change that probably occurred in 1935 when the system of using letter prefixes to differentiate types was discarded.
Except for the 1938 example, provision has been made on each plate shown for the identification of a particular federal government department. On the white-on-dark blue plate the small letter S suffix, displayed on a tab, indicates State Dept. use. Based upon the year tab slots to the right of U.S. GOVERNMENT, this plate, with an unusual embossed red border, is believed to date from the mid- to late 1950s.
Some plates included two-letter agency codes, hence the two tab slots on some of these plates. Based upon the spacing of plate number 9089 and the lack of agency tab slots, perhaps the agency was to have been indicated on a decal placed to the right of the number. The G of the prefix on plate no. 5256 indicates assignment by the General Services Administration to its Interagency Motor Pool System, and the 11 indicates use on an intermediate or subcompact passenger car.
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This page last updated on December 31, 2009 |
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