AL Window Tint Law: Safety or Corruption?

Window tint law? You probably forgot that Alabama even had a window tint law.  Just look at all the SUVs, pickup trucks and minivans. Most of them have tint so dark you can't even see the people inside. So what gives?  

   

In 1996, the Alabama legislature passed our State's Window Tint Law.  The legislators said it was necessary to protect the brave men and women who enforce our laws and keep us safe.  Many jobs were lost as local tint shops were forced out of business.  The State lost millions in tax revenue which continues even today as a result of this law.  Legislators said this was a small price to pay in keeping our officers safe. Supporters of the bill were concerned about the safety of officers who approached vehicles with dark tint. They claimed that officers could not see if the occupants were reaching for a weapon or concealing contraband.

Alabama Code of Law Section 32-5C-2

Prohibitions against operation of motor vehicle under conditions which reduce light transmission.

Except as provided in this chapter, a person shall not operate a motor vehicle registered in this state under either of the following conditions:

(2) With material or glazing applied or affixed to the rear windshield or the side or door windows which reduce light transmission through the rear windshield or side windows to less than 32 percent or increase light reflectance to more than 20 percent, with a measurement tolerance of at least 3 percent...
      
This all sounds great, but there is a huge flaw. The law doesn't ban all dark tinted windows, only windows that were tinted by Alabama custom and detailing shops.

Section 32-5C-3
Exceptions.
The provisions of Section 32-5C-2 shall not apply to any of the following:
(6) Any other vehicle, the windows or windshields of which have been tinted or darkened before factory delivery or permitted by federal law or regulation.

Chevy Equinoz factory tint 25%

Ford F 150 factory tint 18%

Vehicles like these are exempt from the window tint law.

Most pickup trucks, SUVs and mini-vans come from the factory with window tint that reduces light transmission between 15-25%. This is far lower than the 32% allowed by law for after factory tint. If you purchase a brand new Ford F 150 with no tint and decide later to tint the windows to 18%, you are in violation of the law.  If you haven't been infected by the Zombie Virus, the voice of common sense should be ringing loudly in your ear.  You should be asking:

How does this law make officers safe if most of the vehicles on the road are exempt from it?

Well it doesn't, and the law never had anything to do with officer safety.  It was all about corporate greed.  Remember, the law didn't ban window tint, it just required that you purchased your new vehicle with window tint already on it. During the SUV boom in the early 1990's, there was no $150 option for "floor mats"; instead, there was a $300-600 option for "tinted windows".  Many people were declining this option to save a few bucks.  They would just pay half the price to have their car windows tinted at their local custom shop, which created revenue and jobs for Alabama.  The big boys weren't too happy with this.  

Two very large companies dominated the market in supplying car manufacturers with pre-tinted windows.  These two companies operated as a single joint venture corporation.  They contracted with large lobbyist firms in Alabama in order to get this law passed. People would now be forced to buy their product, instead of paying less for after factory tint at a local Alabama small business. Legislators were bought and local governments were sold on the idea of increased revenue from fining violators of this law.  All the power brokers got on board and they paid to control the media. They knew if they made the law about "officer safety", they could squash their opposition by labeling them as not caring about the brave men and women wearing the badge.  It gets worse!

There is no correlative relationship between vehicle window tint and officer safety.  

After the tint law was passed, a young couple went to Montgomery to investigate who was behind this law and why this law was created.  This couple spoke with the Director of the Alabama Department of Public Safety. The Director boasted about how corporations were giving State officials and the Department money to pass the law.  The couple asked to view all information related to the Window Tint Law.  The Director's secretary led the couple to a small two drawer file cabinet.  What they found was unbelievable!

Buried within the files was a research study paid by the State of Alabama to find a correlation between officer safety and vehicle window tint.  The study had officers approach vehicles with different levels of window tint in a traffic stop scenario.  The would-be criminals would hide contraband and attempt to assault officers as they approached.  Officers were assessed on their ability to detect and defend against these scenarios.  The research concluded that window tint was not a factor at all.

The Alabama Window Tint Law jeopardized officer safety

The definitive factor in the study was the procedure officers used when approaching a vehicle.  In fact, officers were more likely able to defend against an assault when approaching a vehicle with dark tinted windows than vehicles with no tint.  This was due to officers being more cautious and consistently positioning their body behind the driver side window.  

The study strongly recommended that law enforcement agencies implement passenger side approaches during traffic stops. Approaching the vehicle from the passenger side gave the police officer a significant tactical advantage, increased field of view inside the vehicle, and more defensive cover.  Additionally, it greatly reduced the officer's chances of getting hit by a passing car during the traffic stop, which is the number one reason for death and injury during traffic stops.

Instead of making the study public and implementing the recommended procedures, State officials buried it, fearing it would prevent passage of the law.  Over the next few years, several officers would be severely injured as a direct result of not using the passenger side approach as recommended in the study.

The Alabama Window Tint Law serves as a prime example of how easy it is for people to be deceived by emotion.  How simple it is to see the motives of this law, just by reading it.  The fact that this law actually passed, is a testament to the Zombie Apocalypse.  20 years later, things have gotten even worse.  The more evil they get away with, the more confidence they have to continue.  Its your money and your future.  When will you say enough is enough?

WAKE UP!  DON'T BE A ZOMBIE.

CHANGE BEGINS WITH YOU!