Number of specialty plates worry law enforcement

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Whether they favor NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. or Jeff Gordon, South Carolina drivers can show their loyalty with specialty license plates.

Palmetto State drivers may pick from more than 370 plates to support Boykin Spaniels, fight breast cancer, back organ donation or identify themselves as firefighters, emergency medical technicians, college alumni or Parrotheads.

And there could be a total of 701 license options if pending legislation is approved by South Carolina lawmakers in the upcoming 2012 session.

While the proliferation of plates may be well-intentioned, law enforcement officers and the head of South Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicles say the increased numbers make them hard for law officers to decipher.