Santa Cruz to start recording license plates, giving location info to Homeland Security

[MineralMan]

5. The same thing can happen based on anything.

Maybe they'll be looking for a black Kia Soul in connection with some crime. I have one of those, as do hundreds of other people in the area. Same situation.

If that happens, it happens. I'll deal with it if it does, either way. I don't consider either situation to be likely, but they're both the same. A call goes out for a suspect in a black Kia Soul, or a call goes out about a license number. What's the difference, really, except that the license number one is more specific and less likely to involve me. The odds of a black Kia Soul having an almost identical license number as mine are much smaller than just the vehicle description alone. More precision should result in fewer mistaken stops.

Similarly, I'm a 60-something white guy with a full beard. Lots of those around here. Lots of room for mistaken identification. It's a risk we all take when we leave our houses.