The state officials who authorize personalized license plates in Utah have in recent years banned such requests as "3MERL0T" "4TWENTY" and "DA^NUTZ."
But the license plate “DEPORTM” apparently passed muster. Now the Utah Tax Commission is considering recalling the license plate after complaints this week on social media.
"We're not sure how it got through," said Tammy Kikuchi, spokeswoman for the commission, which oversees the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles. "We're really quite surprised."
The plate was approved in 2015, Kikuchi confirmed. Now officials are reviewing the plate for compliance with provisions in state law that forbid vanity plates that “may carry connotations offensive to good taste and decency or that may be misleading” and express “contempt, ridicule or superiority of a race, religion, deity, ethnic heritage or political affiliation.