Officers from the Camas Police Department are set to begin an emphasis to encourage their residents to comply with the Washington State vehicle registration laws.

Research has shown that up to 10% of residents in Clark County have their vehicles registered in a different state. In Washington, those registration fees create revenue that is used to repair roads and pay for other transportation related expenses. Those proceeds are lost when residents choose to register their vehicle in another state.

New residents to Washington State have 30 days from the time of their arrival to register their vehicle properly. Failure to do so is an infraction subject to a fine of $1,122.

If a resident registers a vehicle in another state to avoid taxes and fees, that is a crime punishable by up to 364 days in jail and $3,135 in fines plus any delinquent taxes, fees, and applicable assessments.

The emphasis will be conducted in three phases -- identification, attempt to gain voluntary compliance and enforcement. Currently the department is beginning the identification phase. During that period Camas residents can expect to see increased patrols in the neighborhoods and around school zones. Officers will be specifically looking for vehicles that are licensed in other states and entering those vehicles into a database.

In the second phase, the department will provide information to vehicle owners that explain the law and include information about the potential penalties. Hopefully, during this phase those vehicle owners who are in violation with the law will voluntarily comply by obtaining a Washington vehicle license.

After those efforts are made, the department expects to move to an enforcement phase where officers will be specifically focused on looking for vehicles that are in violation of the law. During the enforcement phase, owners could face both fines and possible jail time.