# BLurring Police Car Number Plates on TV Shows- Why?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurring-police-car-number-plates-on-tv-shows-why/635594>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 23, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurring-police-car-number-plates-on-tv-shows-why/635594 "2012-09-23T14:58:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurring-police-car-number-plates-on-tv-shows-why/635594/1 "2012-09-23T14:58:17Z")

</div>

I was watching a few docos last night- they were probably made ten years ago (if that is relevant). The documentaries were serial killers or some other light hearted stuff.

What I can’t follow though is the process of blurring the police vehicles number plates (they do it with others as well, but I can see some reason for that).

However, I am trying to work out why they do it. They have a very obviously marked police car, what is the point? Is there a legal impediment? And is someone going to watch these shows and make a note of every number plate just in case at some time he sees a car and is able to say “Oh it is a police car!”

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurring-police-car-number-plates-on-tv-shows-why/635594/2 "2012-09-23T15:09:02Z")

</div>

I can think of two reasons.  
The first is that the job of plate blurring probably goes a low level production assistant who might not see the distinction between ‘blur these but don’t blur those’.

But more likely is that they used footage from a bunch of unrelated clips and to make them look right and continuous, they had to blur the plates and markings.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurring-police-car-number-plates-on-tv-shows-why/635594/3 "2012-09-23T15:13:22Z")

</div>

Looks like I blurred the header to the thread as well.

I guess they could be blurred to make it all look very serious.nd then again, maybe someone can tell me a pretty obvious reason 🙂

Thanks jnglmassiv.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\
**Post date:** [September 23, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blurring-police-car-number-plates-on-tv-shows-why/635594/4 "2012-09-23T17:28:06Z")

</div>

> [@jnglmassiv](#):
>
> I can think of two reasons.  
> The first is that the job of plate blurring probably goes a low level production assistant who might not see the distinction between ‘blur these but don’t blur those’.
> 
> But more likely is that they used footage from a bunch of unrelated clips and to make them look right and continuous, they had to blur the plates and markings.

I think you have it right. Most likely #2. Our cars all have plates that start with “MG” for municipal government. No one cares if you see the plate number.