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September 27, 2012 By News Staff
Police around the country are starting to use a $200 device to crack down on vehicle window tint violators. In cities like Aurora, Ill., police use light transmittance meters to measure the amount of light that comes through after-market window tints, and if the window is too dark, the driver is issued a fine, the Daily Herald reported.
Most states have had regulations in place for years limiting the amount of tint allowed on the front windows of a vehicle, but the availability and lowering cost of technology is allowing police to concentrate on enforcing such regulations more aggressively. In Aurora, police issued 291 citations for illegal window tint during the first five months of this year, whereas last year, officers only issued two citations during the first five months.
Police cite officer safety as one of the primary reasons for disallowing dark window tint. Several years ago in La Grange, Ill., a police officer was shot with a shotgun after doing a routine traffic stop on a vehicle with dark tinted front windows.
“We’re finding a high majority of the people who have applied the additional tint, gone to the extreme darkness on it, are people who don’t want to be seen or recognized by police,” Aurora Police Lt. Nick Coronado said.
Customized car enthusiasts are also known to illegally tint windows for aesthetic reasons, but police say the regulations are for the safety of drivers as well. Dark window tint can decrease a driver’s ability to see other vehicles or objects, especially at night, which can cause traffic collisions, said Sgt. Ed Ferguson of the Broken Arrow Police in Oklahoma, reported KRMG.com.
Like Aurora, police in Broken Arrow plan to begin actively enforcing window tint laws with light transmittance meters on Nov. 1.
While some drivers dislike the new practice, police in Aurora plan to hold events in which drivers can have their window tint tested for free and avoid risking a $120 ticket.
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"“We’re finding a high majority of the people who have applied the additional tint, gone to the extreme darkness on it, are people who don’t want to be seen or recognized by police,” Aurora Police Lt. Nick Coronado said." Wrong answer. It may that some officers think or believe this is true. Where are these officers living? The past summer we have had more sunspot activities and coronal mass ejections, resulting in higher levels of drought, the brightest most blinding sunshine in decades, and excessive heat. The easiest way to control this in vehicles is by heavier tinting of glass. As a person whose eyes have a medical condition that makes me extremely light sensitive even to the blinding brightness of most vehicles' headlamps at night, sometimes I am forced to wear sunglasses while night driving so I am not totally blinded between cars coming at me and vehicles coming up behind me. There are many other reasons for significantly tinted window glass besides wanting to "hide" from the police. It is just plain wrong that police are taking the stance if you have heavily tinted window glass you're automatically a criminal. Another case of everyone being punished for the crimes of a handful of people.
@Tragoudi.Arpa Illinois has an exemption to the law for people with medically diagnosed light sensitivity conditions. In fact, they can apply for special license plates that indicate such.
Interesting if you read the complete original article written by Marie Wilson-Daily Herald and the “direct quote” by the police officer who made the statement. “We’re finding a high majority of the people who have applied the additional tint, gone to the extreme darkness on it, are people who don’t want to be seen or recognized by police,” Coronado said. Some of those people have had run-ins with the law, racked up too many traffic tickets and had their driver’s license suspended or revoked, or they are known to police as gang members. Others aren’t. “It’s not a steadfast rule that they’re all involved in gangs,” Coronado said. “It’s a mixture of people.” Auto shops that install legal window tinting say hiding from police is not the motivation for most drivers. By applying a film to the inside of each window, drivers benefit from increased protection from UV rays, glare reduction and enhanced security, said Dan Doherty, owner and manager of Riggs Brothers Auto Tops & Interiors in Naperville. I have found that after I read and study the original news article or anything else there is so much more to understanding all the facts. As a hot rodder car enthusiast, I’m still in favor of less tint for the benefit of the police and to increase my out ward visibility when I drive at night.
I live in Florida which is a very hot climate. I just purchased a 2007 Infiniti with dark tinting all around. The car is Black. The tinting preserved the interior so that the leather, after 5 years and 70,000 miles still has the new car smell. The AC is also helped greatly by the tinting. At first I didn't like the idea of the tinting on the driver's window. But I have since changed my mind. Am I hiding from the police. NO!