> expired tags

There are really only two things the government actually cares about:

1. staying in power

2. collecting taxes

So yeah, they're not going to overlook expired tags.

This is very true. I lived in a fairly high-crime city for a while. The police never really investigated burglaries or car thefts because of a lack of resources. But man, leave your car parked on the street for a couple of minutes after the meter expired, and BAM! a cop would appear out of nowhere to write you a ticket.

Traffic stops that let them seize cash will definitely be a priority. So even your broken taillight means revenue.

Police have all the time in the world for drug crimes and pulling over people because “they look suspicious”.