Article Summary: The Beecher Police Department has received 14 new window tint meters through a donation from the Will County State’s Attorney’s Office. State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow personally presented the equipment, stating the meters provide officers with a crucial tool for enforcing state laws on vehicle window tinting, which can improve both officer and public safety.

Beecher Police Department Key Points:

• Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow donated 14 window tint meters to the Beecher Police Department.

• The devices measure the percentage of light transmitting through a vehicle’s window to determine if it meets legal standards.

• Glasgow said illegally tinted windows pose a safety risk to officers on traffic stops and can obscure driver identification in accidents.

• The meters provide objective, certifiable evidence for court proceedings.

BEECHER, IL – The Beecher Police Department is now better equipped to enforce vehicle safety laws after receiving a donation of 14 window tint meters from Will County State’s Attorney Jim Glasgow.

Glasgow, who presented the equipment to Police Chief Terry Lemming at the September 22 Village Board meeting, said the meters are a valuable tool for public safety. State law requires side and back windows on most passenger cars to allow at least 35% of light to pass through, a rule designed to ensure drivers can see and be seen.

“If somebody were to hit your child and they had tinted windows, no one would be able to identify who was behind the wheel,” Glasgow said, explaining the civil liability and public safety risks. “That makes no sense at all.”

The meters also protect police officers, who face added danger when approaching vehicles with illegally dark windows that prevent them from seeing inside. A stop for a tint violation, Glasgow noted, often leads to the discovery of other crimes. “What we find in the Joliet area is guns and drugs,” he said.

The new two-piece meters allow officers to test all windows, including the windshield, which cannot have any tint apart from a six-inch strip at the top. The devices provide a digital reading that can be used as certified evidence in court after an officer completes a brief online training course.

Chief Lemming thanked the State’s Attorney’s office for the donation. “This will just be another tool in his kit,” Glasgow said of Lemming’s efforts to police for safety in Beecher.