The Back Page
Film in the News
Compiled from News Reports Around the World

Window film is a popular item among consumers and, as such, stories about it pop up almost every day in newspapers around the world. The Window Film staff has compiled a few on this page that we found interesting. To submit articles that you see in consumer publications or your own hometown press, please e-mail a link to the story to dvass@glass.com or mail a copy of the article to Attn: Window Film magazine, P.O. Box 569, Garrisonville, VA 22463.

Film Deters Abductions
A police sergeant in Aurora, Colo., recently suggested window film as a deterrent against abduction.

Sgt. Graham Dunne teaches classes on how to evade an abduction and recently shared some pointers with a local news station who posted the advice on 9news.com. On Dunne’s list of “things that may discourage individuals,” was: “Tint your windows.” And, of course, “Check with local police to find out what is legal in your area.” 

Panthers Guard Pulled For Illegal Tint
Carolina Panthers reserve guard D’Anthony Batiste was recently arrested on a weapons charge after being pulled for illegal tint levels. Batiste’s windows clocked in at 8.8 percent visible light transmittance. The officer said windows are supposed to have at least a 35-percent visible light transmission and he couldn’t see who was in the vehicle.

According to an Associated Press article, Batiste was then charged by the North Carolina police officer for carrying a concealed weapon. As it turns out, the gun was Batiste’s prior service weapon from the time he spent as a former deputy in Louisiana.

Batiste, who later said his charge may have been racially motivated, also was fined $110 for not updating his driver’s license after moving to North Carolina. A spokeswoman for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department said the arrest was not racially motivated and that the department has been cracking down on window tint violations.

A Mecklenburg County judge threw out the charges, saying the arrest for a window tint violation was a pretext to search Batiste’s car.

Doctors Continue to Prescribe Film
With summer officially in full swing, consumers continue to hear about sun protection. And while we hear primarily about doctors suggesting certain SPF levels of sun-block, many continue to prescribe window film for those at risk of, or currently being treated for, skin cancer.

In an article dated June 22, 2007, from The State Journal, in Charleston, W. Va., Craig McKee asks, “Could the sunglasses you wear and the car you drive be doing you more harm than good when it comes to defending yourself against skin cancer?” He then discusses how patients can have tint applied to their vehicles, darker than state regulations, using a doctor’s prescription.

McKee talks to Wil Scarbro, a tint shop owner, who says he frequently encounters past skin cancer patients who want their windows tinted. “And they can have the whole windshield tinted, in most cases, to keep the glare out of their eyes and the sun off their skin,” Scarbro told McKee.

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