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(WCCO) Tinted car windows are increasingly popular. Some drivers prefer them to block the heat in summer, for privacy or just because they make a car look "cool." The darkened windows are also a growing concern for law enforcement officers who say they can be a safety problem for police.

Making traffic stops is one of the basics of police work. It is done thousands of times every day on city streets and on rural roads. However, this "routine" part of the job can also be the most dangerous. Just last week, an officer in Texas was gunned down when he stopped a car and a tinted window blocked a person inside who had a gun.

To protect themselves, officers are trained to be careful every time they approach a car they have stopped for a traffic violation. The increase in the number of cars with darkened windows raises their fear factor when they make those stops.

"When we walk up to these cars, we don't want to be blinded," said Minnesota State Patrol Major Mike Asleson.

Asleson said troopers all over the state have run into tinted windows. He believes many drivers may not even realize that they are operating vehicles which have windows illegally dark.

That can happen when they take a car to a shop to get their windows tinted at the level which allows more than 50 percent of light to come through the window. The problem is most cars already have some tint on the windows when they leave the factory.

If they order the "50 percent" level at a glass shop, the base tint already on the vehicle will put them over the legal limit.

If a police officer stops a car which appears to have windows which are too dark, they use a tint meter to measure for sure. In Minnesota, a reading is below the 50 percent of light level, a driver is likely to get a ticket which could cost at least $125.

On top of that, the owner will be told to get the tint removed or face getting stopped and ticketed again. Some vehicles are exempt, including limousines and those used in funeral processions.

A Minnesota lawmaker and veteran police officer wants to tighten window tinting laws even more.

"We found that windows are occluded as much as 90 percent. Just like they are painted with black paint so we have to get a handle on it somehow," said State Representative Tony Cornish of Lake Crystal.

Cornish thinks eye doctors have been too loose handing out prescriptions for patients who say they need the darkened windows to drive. He wants a two year expiration on permits to drive vehicles with darkened windows and other regulations for car owners.

St. Paul Police Officer Richard Beard agreed to take WCCO-TV reporter Caroline Lowe and a photojournalist along as he patrolled city streets, looking for tinted windows.

"It is always a little unnerving," approaching a car said Beard. "It is the unknown. You don't know what's in the vehicle. You don't know if someone is hiding in the backseat on you. You don't know if somebody's setting up an ambush."

Just minutes into our ride along on the city's eastside, Beard spots and stops a car with dark windows. Using a tint meter, he quickly confirms the windows are too dark. The driver gets a ticket for $128 and is also cited for driving with a revoked licenses and not having proof of insurance in the car which he said belongs to his mother.

While officer safety is a key reason to educate the public about the dangers of tinted windows, Asleson said the law is also for everyone's protection.

"When people are out on bikes, and pedestrians, there is no way those drivers can see them as well," he said.

Asleson also recommends drivers contact their local police department if they want to find out if they have tint meters on hand which can tell you if your windows are too dark. To get more details or learn about exemptions, you can also look up the law which is Minnesota State statute 169.71 or visit Caroline's Crime Scene Blog.

 

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