License Plates Tell a Story: How to Unlock Hidden Leads with CrimeTracer

Your CrimeTracer login opens access to over a billion different data sources. As part of a series of helpful tips and tricks to make the most of your searches, here are some ways to enhance searching for license plates.

Every vehicle has a history. And with the right tools, even a single license plate—complete or partial—can open the door to critical investigative leads. In CrimeTracer, your license plate search goes far beyond just identifying a registered owner. You can uncover past incidents, known associates, and vehicle context that helps ensure safer and more informed engagements.

Whether you’ve got a full plate number or just a few digits, CrimeTracer’s wildcard search capability turns that fragment into a powerful investigative advantage.

Need help with your CrimeTracer Login? Email CrimeTracer Customer Support at crimetracer.support@soundthinking.com

🔍 Start with What You Know: Wildcard Plate Searches

When you enter a license plate in the CrimeTracer search bar, you can use wildcard characters to search even if some of the digits or letters are missing or uncertain:

• Use * to represent any number of characters (including none).
• Use ? to represent a single unknown character.

Example: If you only remember that a plate ends in “923B,” try:

*923B

Or, if one character in the middle is unclear:

12?4XYZ

This flexible search helps you find all potential matches—even when your data isn’t perfect.

🚔 Past Incidents Involving the Vehicle

Once a plate is entered, CrimeTracer instantly retrieves incident reports and field contacts tied to that vehicle. These may include cases involving:

• Narcotics
• Firearms
• Stolen property
• Suspicious activity
• Traffic stops linked to ongoing investigations

This context allows you to identify patterns, assess threat levels, and prioritize investigative efforts.

Use case: You search a plate and discover the vehicle was previously stopped in a narcotics case with an uncooperative occupant. That history can help you plan safer, more informed contact.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Go Beyond the Registered Owner: Known Associates & Occupants

Vehicles are often driven by people other than the registered owner. CrimeTracer helps you identify:

• Frequent passengers
• Known associates from prior stops or reports
• Individuals linked through phone numbers, addresses, or other vehicles

Use case: You find that the car is registered to a female, but prior stops show multiple male occupants—one of whom is a known gang member with a weapons history. That’s valuable intel before making contact.

🛑 Vehicle History That Supports Safer Engagements

CrimeTracer pulls together all the pieces—past incidents, known users, locations, and activity—into a single, unified profile. That means you’re not just seeing the plate—you’re seeing the story behind the vehicle.

This intel gives you:

• Tactical awareness before a stop
• Context to support search warrants or surveillance
• Intelligence to share with patrol, narcotics, or gang units

From a Plate to a Picture—Fast

A single license plate can unlock a full investigative picture. CrimeTracer makes that process fast, intuitive, and powerful—especially when using wildcard searches to make sense of partial information.

The next time a vehicle crosses your radar, don’t stop at the DMV record. Drop that plate into CrimeTracer and discover what it’s really connected to.

Ready to see how deep a license plate search can go? Log in to CrimeTracer today or reach out to our team for a personalized demo. The leads are there—you just need the right tool to find them.

Interested in Learning more about becoming a CrimeTracer user? Contact us to learn how.