Walk It Through: The Tinted Window Stop
Dark front windows, a license and a phone card, and a plate that has lost its decal.
A patrol car follows a sedan with dark film on the front side windows and pulls it over.
Two things a person in this spot might do. Picking one shows what the law says about it.
One stop on equipment and paperwork. A frisk, a dog sniff with suspicion, an arrest and a commercial license are not worked through here.
A practice walkthrough, not a prediction of how any real one will go. Legal information, not legal advice.
Words this turns on
Terms with a legal meaning that is narrower than the everyday one. Each links to the definition and the authority behind it.
- Evidence of insuranceProof that a current liability policy covers the vehicle. It may be shown as an electronic image on a phone, and an owner who cannot produce it has ten days after the request to show the prosecutor it was in force.
- Reasonable suspicionWhat a peace officer needs to stop a person in a public place: a reasonable suspicion that the person is committing, has committed or is about to commit a crime. With it, the officer may demand a name, address and an explanation.
- AS-1 lineThe line marked AS-1 on most windshields; where there is no mark, a line five inches below and parallel to the top. Below it, the windshield is clear and transparent.