After legal name change, does birth name show as alias when ID ran by police?

[PsychedelicSage]

I'm going to be legally changing my name once I can afford it. However, my dad told me something that made me start panicking; that even if I legally change my name and change all of my documents, if a police officer were to run my driver's license/ID, my birth name would show up next to my changed name as an alias, outing me as trans to the officer. I live in Illinois.

I have no criminal convictions at all, no misdemeanors nor felonies, but I have an arrest record of one arrest and one expunged court case that happened when I was 18. I'm now 22.

Will I be outed if my ID is ever run by police for any reason (such as being pulled over, etc)?

[Dena]

It can vary from state to state. In California they were putting us into the witness protection files so the information could only be unlocked with the approval of a higher up. It gets more complicated if you have an arrest record on file because it would be rather difficult to alter the court records. I suspect in your case, one of your names might appear as an alias when your record is run. Had your offense been committed when you were younger than 18 the offense  would have been removed from your record.

You need to contact somebody who is more knowledgeable about the local laws to find out how it works in your state. On the other hand, police officer are trained to properly handle issues like this so you should be treated just like anybody else. Most likely they will not say anything about it so you won't be aware of what they found when they ran your record.

[Michelle_P]

The current California setup seals your old records with the DMV if you change both your name and gender marker at the same time.  A court order is needed to unseal the records.  Getting a revised birth certificate is similar.


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[Sydney_NYC]

Because you have an arrest record as an adult, an alias would most likely show up in the same state, but most likely not in another state than the arrest took place in.

[PsychedelicSage]

That is absolute BS. So I can't ever have a normal life in the eyes of the cops? I've never had any sort of conviction, but one little arrest with no charges and my life is ruined? Cop looks up my info, and I go from "Miss can I see your driver's license?" to "You're a man? Are you a crossdresser? HAHA!"?

The reason I even have that arrest was because of untreated dysphoria. It was a drug arrest. A drug that's now decriminalized in my state.

And yeah right, cops aren't going to treat trans people with dignity. Why would they? When have they ever? I was treated horribly by my high school cop just because he thought I was a gay boy. You guys are acting like the cops will be nice about it. News flash, trans people are still pretty hated, especially by authority. Hence a major reason why I'm so worked up about this. I pass but it's hardly worthwhile if I'll be some big joke to the cops.

[kaitylynn]

You might consider contacting an attorney that works with civil law.  I was informed by Department of Vital Statistics here in California that my old birth cert would be sealed and a new original BC would be issued.  It would take probable cause and court order for law enforcement to gain access.

The DMV here reissues your license with the same number.  Even if you get a new number somehow, they will link it with the old number.  If the police have that old number, it is an easy guess that they can cross reference the old number, but I am not 100% on that.

While this is indeed a new start for most of us...the world does not see it that way entirely.  We are still who we were before transition, just in a new frame (body and reference).

[MissGendered]

And yeah right, cops aren't going to treat trans people with dignity. Why would they? When have they ever?

Pyschedelic,

Several years ago, about 6 months after going full-time, I was traveling across the country in a vehicle I had just purchased in another state. I was still pre-op, no surgeries, about 18 months on HRT, but with my old license, with a picture of the biker-looking dude I once was, and all my insurance stuff in my old name.

It was during a major heat wave out West, and I was dressed in a just a beige, sheer camisole and tiny panties, no bra, with no AC, so I was pouring water on myself to stay cool. I had been driving like a bat out of hell one morning, trying to get across Nebraska before the sun was high in the sky, trying to get back to the green land of trees near the Mississippi.

Out West, there are highways with 90 mile an hour speed limits, I was even on one that was 95. Well, I was doing 95 when I spotted a Nebraska State Trooper car parked in the median, so I slammed on the brakes, but it was too late, he had me on radar, and there I was, almost naked, wrong ID, wet, and a bit of contraband I was having to hide, as a pre-op, if'n ya get the idea, lol..

He clocked me at 88 in a 65, omg!

So, a man about 40 walks up to the passenger window, looks in, and asks for my Driver's License, Registration, and Proof of Insurance. I had the foresight to get the vehicle insured in my old name before I left the state where I bought it, but the registration was in the old owner's name.

I handed him the registration first, and told him I had just bought the vehicle. He looked it over, and then I handed him the proof of insurance, with my old name on it, and he thanked me, looked at it, then asked for my Driver's License. I took a big breath, and handed it to him, and said "I bet you are wondering why my picture looks so different than I do now". He looked at it, looked at me, and said "No ma'am, I am assuming you must have had a LOT of surgery". Then he wheeled around, walked back to his car, and ran my info. He came back about 10 minutes later, I was sweating bullets, and he said "thank you for getting the vehicle insured before driving it, but be sure to get a new license picture taken when you get back to your home state. I'm gonna let you go with a written warning, but be careful, if you get pulled over again, you will get a ticket" I thanked him profusely and told him to have a wonderful day. He thanked me, and said "By the way, Ma'am, you look great, congratulations"...and he was gone...

I was dumbstruck.

I don't assume I know what anybody is thinking anymore. Cops can be amazing people, too..

Missy

[Sydney_NYC]

.....
The DMV here reissues your license with the same number.  Even if you get a new number somehow, they will link it with the old number.  If the police have that old number, it is an easy guess that they can cross reference the old number, but I am not 100% on that.
......

In NJ when I change my name and gender on my DL in 2014, I received a new number (you name, gender county, and other info is encoded into the number), but it was either linked to my old number or they transferred all the info over. I got a copy of my DMV record in NJ and nowhere on the report had my dead name. It did however still had an accident that I was in from 2003 when a tractor trailer truck tire came off a truck and into my car in the opposite direction head on while driving down the NJ Turnpike with a divider wall on driver's side with no shoulder and another truck on passenger side. NJ State trooper said I did everything I could to minimize the impact and was totally unavoidable. I was able to prevent the tire from coming through the windshield by getting as close to the divider as possible so the tire would hit the passenger side (which no one was in.) Car was nearly totaled, but I didn't have any physical injuries, but I was emotionally shaken up for while.

[Inarasarah]

I'm gonna let you go with a written warning, but be careful, if you get pulled over again, you will get a ticket" I thanked him profusely and told him to have a wonderful day. He thanked me, and said "By the way, Ma'am, you look great, congratulations"...and he was gone...

I was dumbstruck.

Great story Missy.  I am never this lucky.

[Devlyn]

That is absolute BS. So I can't ever have a normal life in the eyes of the cops? I've never had any sort of conviction, but one little arrest with no charges and my life is ruined? Cop looks up my info, and I go from "Miss can I see your driver's license?" to "You're a man? Are you a crossdresser? HAHA!"?

The reason I even have that arrest was because of untreated dysphoria. It was a drug arrest. A drug that's now decriminalized in my state.

And yeah right, cops aren't going to treat trans people with dignity. Why would they? When have they ever? I was treated horribly by my high school cop just because he thought I was a gay boy. You guys are acting like the cops will be nice about it. News flash, trans people are still pretty hated, especially by authority. Hence a major reason why I'm so worked up about this. I pass but it's hardly worthwhile if I'll be some big joke to the cops.

That's a lot of anger over a hypothetical situation. One of my biggest supporters is a police officer. 

Hugs, Devlyn

[FTMax]

I was a police officer in my past life. Names that have been legally changed will show up as aliases, so yes you would be outed. Honestly though, I worked in a really large department and I've never known anyone to give much of a hoot about prior names. We would care more about your driver status, probation/parole status, and your history of police contact (like are you known to carry a weapon? Have you ever assaulted an officer? Do you get violent during routine traffic stops?).

Police primarily utilize NCIC, which has you in there by name and SSN, tied with your state driver's license. I did not work in California, but I would be very surprised if the sealing of those records goes all the way to what law enforcement can see. I seriously doubt it.

I don't see how this is worth getting worked up over. If you're planning to lead a life that leads to frequent police contact, then perhaps it's time to rethink what you're doing. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've interacted with the police as a private citizen, more than half of those as a trans person. No issues whatsoever.

[Georgette]

I never even thought about this dilemma.  I can't recall any police stops where there was any question.

Originally got my DL in Maryland in 1972, and had some speeding tickets.  They had their own DL numbering.

Moved to Virginia in 1976, had my name change in 1976 and Sex marker changed after SRS in 1977.  They use the SSN for DL number.

Moved back to Maryland in 1983 and they did correlate my old Maryland DL number from before.

Had to show my name change order to correct their records.  Can't remember if I had to show surgeon letter for sex marker on DL or not.

[salaniaseviltwin]

Sorry for reviving an old thread.

Did you ever find anything out about this? I live in Lake County, so I'm kind of curious what the answer is, as I do have a bit of a record (all traffic) myself. I'll look into it myself in the meantime if you didn't get an answer.

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[KathyLauren]

Sorry for reviving an old thread.

Did you ever find anything out about this? I live in Lake County, so I'm kind of curious what the answer is, as I do have a bit of a record (all traffic) myself. I'll look into it myself in the meantime if you didn't get an answer.

It is best to look into it yourself.  Every jurisdiction has different rules.

Where I live, I had to get my fingerprints taken before I could apply for a name change.  If I had had a criminal record, my fingerprints would have been used to find it and tag it with both my old and new names.  The purpose is to prevent using a name change to escape from a criminal record.  The procedure is that if the fingerprints come back negative for a criminal record, they are destroyed and not filed.

My drivers license outs me, since I cannot change my gender officially for another year and a half.  So my license says "Kathleen Lauren _____, Sex: M".   No escaping from that!  I have been pulled over at a random checkstop that was checking vehicle inspection tags and other paperwork.  The officer looked over my license, handed it back, and said, "Your Inspection Tag expires at the end of this month, Ma'am.  Be sure to get it updated before it expires.  Have a nice day."

So it's not automatically a problem.

[salaniaseviltwin]

I did know about the fingerprints, unfortunately I've had mine taken. I was driving on a suspended license, it's only a misdemeanor, but it still sucks. I'm waiting to hopefully have my record expunged sometime later this year. From previous research, you have to have had no violations for at least 2 years.

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