The state commissioner who oversees the Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles said they have finished a review of how personalized license plates with Nazi references became street legal.
In a Facebook video, Administration Commissioner Kelly Tshibaka said a plate that said “FUHRER” was issued more than a decade ago, and invalidated in October after a public complaint. The same motorist requested “3REICH,” which was issued in November, then invalidated in January.
Both personalized plates had slipped through an automated screening process; they weren’t on a list of more than 11,000 vulgar, violent, criminal and demeaning terms.
A deputy commissioner, Paula Vrana, details more of the process in a four-page memo. According to that memo, staff review every personalized plate request, whether there’s an automated flag or not. An employee “inadvertently overlooked” the one that referenced Germany’s Nazi regime among several hundred other personalized plate requests.
As before, if either staff or the automated system flag something, a panel will review and vote to approve or reject the request.
The deputy’s memo notes other steps being taken to address inappropriate language on personalized license plates:
- Two or more staff will do an initial review of personalized plate applications.
- The division will consider using algorithms that identify vulgar or offensive concepts in social media to filter requests.
- There will be a review of all current plates.
- A reporting system will be created so the DMV can identify problematic phrases as they emerge.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that DMV staff do review all personalized license plate requests, in addition to the automated review. It’s also been expanded with more information about changes to the review process
