Tinted Window Owners in Frederick County Beware
posted 10:51 am Tue February 26, 2008 -
Starting next week, police in Frederick County will be cracking down on vehicles with illegally tinted windows.
If a passenger's profile cannot be seen from outside a vehicle, the windows are too dark, according to Chris Koermer, Assistant Administrative Officer of Training at the Maryland State Police Automotive Safety Enforcement Division. State law requires that 35 percent of light must be able to shine through a vehicle's window.
On Monday, police in Frederick will begin a 60-day initiative to target illegally tinted vehicle windows on roads throughout the county, Maryland State Police 1st. Sgt. Chris Sasse said.
Though he did not have an exact number, Sasse said county police recently noticed an increase in the number of cars on the road with illegally tinted windows. "How do you feel if you can't see inside the vehicle you're sitting next to in traffic?" he asked. "It's a public safety issue."
If a police officer cannot see inside a car, Sasse said, the officer cannot tell if the passengers are handling drugs and/or weapons.
Sasse thinks combating illegally tinted windows could help cut down on crime, including drive-by shootings.
Koermer explained in some cases a driver may be medically exempt from the state law on window tinting. If that is the case, the person must carry a medical waiver from a physician, Koermer said. Out-of-state vehicles also are exempt.
Some trucks and vans are manufactured with tinted rear and passenger windows, which officers said those windows would not be included in the crackdown, they would only look into windows that have added-on materials.
"We're going to take a bite out of tinting," Sasse said.
Latest Comment on Tinted Window Owners in Frederick County Beware
holtonfb
2:13 pm on 02/28/08
more to brian and now fred .. another nice thing about non-tinted woindows is that YOU can see inside that vehilce when it's driving past you .. as that homey might be getting ready to open up on somebody near by you ..and it's also nice to protect the cops ...
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