DMV should check for stolen cars during registration

The Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles and major police agencies say the state has a gap in its current laws which has allowed a growing number of stolen cars to be registered to new owners.

Stan Olsen, representing the Nevada Sheriff's and Chiefs Association, estimated 500 stolen vehicles have been registered in the state.

"And, unfortunately, a great number of people affected by this are lower-income people who are buying cars off street corners," he said.

Tom Fronopfel, of the DMV, said SB242 would require department employees to run registrations against national databases to verify whether the vehicle has been stolen. He said currently they check a small number of vehicles - particularly when they are out-of-state registrations. The bill would require all new registrations be compared to national databases of stolen vehicles.

It would cost about $65,400 the first year, including some computer programming and about $58,000 a year after that.

The finance committee voted to support passage of the bill.