De Blasio, O'Neill And Others Call On Cuomo To Sign Tinted Window Legislation
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio, Police Commissioner James O'Neill, elected officials and others are calling on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign legislation that would take vehicles with excessive window tint off the road.
The legislation would require the testing of window tint density at a car's annual safety and emissions inspections.
"Law enforcement officers face increased danger every time they pull over a vehicle and are unable to view the interior," de Blasio said. "This bill would protect law enforcement officers from the unnecessary risk of walking into unexpected and dangerous situations."
O'Neill said the bill is about "making cops safe."
"I'm calling on the governor to pass this bill, immediately," he said. "To veto this legislation would be a direct assault on cops and the safety of law enforcement officers across the state."
If the bill becomes law, vehicle inspection centers would be required to buy a device that calibrates window tint density and perform the requisite testing.
If the glass on a vehicle is tinted beyond 30 percent of light transmittance, it would not pass New York State's safety inspection and the tint would have to be removed or altered and then re-inspected.
In 2007, Det. Russel Timoshenko and his partner, Sgt.Herman Yan, were shot during a routine traffic stop. Officials said the excessive tint on the vehicle's windows preventing them from being able to look inside.
Timoshenko was killed. His partner was wounded, but survived.
"Police officers put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers safe," Yan said Tuesday. "This legislation would go a long way toward providing police officers with the protection and security we deserve while conducting vehicle stops, especially at night."
Officials said the NYPD performs over one million car stops annually and issues approximately 65,000 to 70,000 tinted windows summonses per year.
