BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2660
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 23, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 2660 (Solorio) - As Amended: April 9, 2012
SUBJECT : Vehicles: peace officer vehicles: window tinting or
glazing
SUMMARY : Exempts vehicles owned, operated, or leased by
federal, state, or local law enforcement, during the performance
of duty, from prohibitions on window tinting for passenger- and
driver-side windows.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Prohibits driving a motor vehicle with any object or material
on a windshield or side windows, with certain exceptions, that
obstructs or reduces the driver's clear vision.
2)Prohibits affixing or applying any transparent material to a
windshield or side or rear window of a vehicle if the material
alters the color or reduces the light transmittance of the
window, with certain exceptions.
3)Authorizes the installation of tinted safety glass in a
vehicle provided the material has a minimum visible light
transmittance of 70% and the driver has in his or her
possession a certificate signed by the window glazing
installer certifying that the material meets all specified
requirements.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown.
COMMENTS : State law prohibits certain window tinting on
vehicles because window tinting makes it difficult for peace
officers to see into a vehicle. This is particularly true when
an officer approaches a vehicle that has been stopped. Although
the law provides some exceptions, those exceptions do not exempt
window tinting on police vehicles, including unmarked vehicles
used by undercover police officers.
The author notes that undercover peace officers frequently use
window tinting on driver- and passenger-side windows to blend in
with vehicle fads and to protect officers from being detected
AB 2660
Page 2
when they are working undercover.
Difficulties arise, however, when a police officer stops an
undercover officer for illegal window tinting. The arresting
officer may be required to issue a citation because the law does
not specifically exempt law enforcement. The police department
that was issued the citation must then expend resources to have
it dismissed in court or pay the fine. The author argues that
this process wastes critical time and public safety resources on
a technicality that could be easily avoided. Therefore, the
author has introduced this legislation to exempt law enforcement
from the prohibition on the use of window tinting, making it
possible for an officer to display identification as evidence
that the vehicle meets exemption requirements. The author
contends that this bill will save law enforcement time and money
and allow them to focus their resources on protecting public
safety.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Peace Officers Research Organization (sponsor)
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Victoria Alvarez / TRANS. / (916) 319-
2093