I live here in Jefferson County, Al. When i go to the court house in Birmingham to register a vehicle or to renew my tag, the DMV will not issue your new tag without insurance. You used to have to provide proof of said insurance, but these days the DMV already knows if your vehicle is insured or not, therefore my proof is not needed.
I am wondering, if you are going to pull a driver over for an infraction, does your department not have DMV information on every license plate regarding whether or not the vehicle is insured, as it is here in Al?
I have not been pulled over in a pretty long time, back before insurance was required. But I do know that now you do in fact have to carry proof of insurance in your vehicle at all times. As I had to show my proof after a small fender bender a couple of years ago.