Window TInt

[gordonjuan]

I just read a post about newbies posting more, so...

I`m a long-time lurker and reader here, but I want to chime in here. I`m a police officer, but not in NY. That being said, I don`t see tint as a big deal, ESPECIALLY if the driving is fine. My personal feelings are that I need to be able to see inside the vehicle day or night. I have stopped people with pretty dark tint, but they have rolled windows down and put interior lights on when it was night. I mentioned the tint, but that was it. That`s MY story. A certain percentage of my colleagues around the country don`t share the same philosophy.

I would check with your local law enforcement (where the driving will mostly be done) and ask them. If it`s at about 70%, that`s almost what an older Crown Vic is from factory. Most factory tints (my Tahoe included) are lower than that. Here, if it`s factory/OEM tint, you`re ok.

Of course, your mileage may vary. My general area - with a couple of exceptions - are pretty laid back with tint rules. We`ve got other things to get done other than tint violations.

Again, check with local police/whoever covers your area. You might be surprised what the answer is.

A police officer posting about tint -- here come the comments!

Gordon

[bowles1231]

3m is a good way to go. Also Llumar. Make sure your tinter offers a decent warranty.
Crystalline tint is top of the line but also comes with a huge price. Ceramic film is a good option as far as heat reduction goes.
I have 18% all around with a strip on the windshield. I can wear sunglasses but it`s not necessary. I dont have to roll my windows down to make turns at night. It is illegal, but I`ve never had issues as far as tickets go. (wrote this before realizing that you want to go legal)
If heat is the biggest concern, you can also have clear film installed on the windshield.
Nevertheless, tint can be removed and replaced if your not happy with your first choice... If you have the $$..

[JSFM35X]

Thanks for your perspective. I have some friends on the job that tell me that your attitude can be the determining factor between driving away easily or having a bad, expensive night. I totally understand that. I also understand not wanting to approach a car that is dark, and tinted dark. We all want our officers home safe every night and you have no way of knowing who your dealing with when you get out of the car. I would only tint the windows legal in my state, and just want to make sure he know to roll the window down and turn on the dome light. I was also told to put both hands at 12 oclock on the steering wheel to make the officer the most comfortable. So far, so good.

I just read a post about newbies posting more, so...

I`m a long-time lurker and reader here, but I want to chime in here. I`m a police officer, but not in NY. That being said, I don`t see tint as a big deal, ESPECIALLY if the driving is fine. My personal feelings are that I need to be able to see inside the vehicle day or night. I have stopped people with pretty dark tint, but they have rolled windows down and put interior lights on when it was night. I mentioned the tint, but that was it. That`s MY story. A certain percentage of my colleagues around the country don`t share the same philosophy.

I would check with your local law enforcement (where the driving will mostly be done) and ask them. If it`s at about 70%, that`s almost what an older Crown Vic is from factory. Most factory tints (my Tahoe included) are lower than that. Here, if it`s factory/OEM tint, you`re ok.

Of course, your mileage may vary. My general area - with a couple of exceptions - are pretty laid back with tint rules. We`ve got other things to get done other than tint violations.

Again, check with local police/whoever covers your area. You might be surprised what the answer is.

A police officer posting about tint -- here come the comments!

Gordon

[Accumulator]

Forgot to mention that in the (heavily tinted) Crown Vic, I keep a fresh razor blade in the glovebox just in case I ever run into a, uhm....really hard case guy who`s looking to hassle somebody, even though Accumulatorette and I apparently come across as LE-friendly, based on our experiences.


gordenjuan- Welcome to Autopia! Nice to see a LEO perspective on this, especially, heh heh...a nice layed-back perspective at that!

FWIW, I *really* sympathize with LEOs who have to approach a tinted vehicle at night, at least when the occupants do *NOT* roll down the windows. Oh man...scarey IMO.

Like JSFM35X, I always do the "flashers on, domelight on, empty hands in plain view" thing, going so far as to be "palms up" and have the keys out of the ignition and visible on the dashboard (advice from LEO pals, brrrrr in the winter). And yeah, "tinted windows down", which could get a little complicated when we have the dogs along or in bad weather.