CHARDON, Ohio -- A Chardon judge has a way of keeping repeat drunken drivers off the streets.

NewsChannel5 Investigator Jodi Brooks reported that his method causes embarrassment, but it has some DUI offenders saying thanks.

Judge Craig Albert of Chardon Municipal Court issues orange Ohio license plates that let people know the driver has been "tagged" with a DUI.

"Every time I get in my truck, I (have) to look at them," said Paul Miller, a DUI offender. "Every time I get out of my truck, I (have) to look at them. Every day I go by, (people) look at them."

What was once private is now a public display of Miller's admitted drinking problem.

"It is embarrassing," said Kathleen Miller, Paul Miller's wife. "When I'm on the road, I want to put, 'This is not my van,' but it doesn't matter."

She said ultimately, she doesn't mind, because the plates help keep her husband sober.

"We've tried inter-lock devices, we've tried jail, we've tried home arrest, a number of other things (like) counseling -- this works," Albert said.

If you're tagged orange, it means you've signed an agreement that you won't drink, you can be stopped any time and you can drive only an orange-plated car.

"If you operate a vehicle other than one with plates or consumed some alcohol, you're going to jail for six months," Albert said.

Albert hands out about five orange plates a week -- more now than ever before. He started doing this seven years ago, and has had 14 violators.

Although Miller is embarrassed, he said he is not hiding.

"I really pissed off Judge Albert, and he turned around to help me, and I didn't even deserve it," he said.

Officials said that the problem with the plates is that not everyone knows about them. Not even all police officers know about them.

But as more courts start issuing them, the more likely the orange tag will be known and noticed, NewsChannel5 reported.