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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 erogers@glass.com or mail a copy of the article to Attn: Window Film magazine, P.O. Box 569, Garrisonville, VA 22463.

Tint My Phone?
Minnesota—Times are tight for nearly every industry these days. And window film dealers around the world find themselves taking on jobs no matter how big or small. A blogger for examiner.com recently covered a new product akin to paint protection film for small electronics, such as mobile phones, i-Pods and MP3 players, which might be that next add-on product, no matter how small.

Installation for the invisibleSHIELDs from Zagg™, similar to window film, is being offered through Best Buy locations in Minnesota for $15. The thin, clear film is described as virtually indestructible and was originally designed for the military to protect helicopter blades from scratching and chipping. Yet another opportunity for tinters?

In Hot Pursuit
Rogersville, Tenn. — The arrest of Douglas Lucian Salyer, 31, may have started with a window-tint violation, but troubles soon escalated when he allegedly led the state’s Highway Patrol on a 100 mph chase.

According to police reports, a chase pursued when officers prepared to stop a 1992 Camaro for a window-tint violation. The Camaro, travelling in the eastbound right lane, allegedly made a sharp left turn without signaling, crossing the passing lane and making a U-turn through a median turn lane. The driver turned onto a dead-end street, then, reportedly left the roadway, continued through a yard and over embankments, destroying a mailbox and crashing into a fence.

Salyer reportedly fled on foot, while the passenger, Joseph Charles Sandine, 36, was arrested at the scene. Shortly after, Salyer was found nearby and taken into custody. He was charged with felony evading arrest, reckless endangerment, driving on a revoked license fourth offense, reckless driving, speeding, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to give immediate notice of an accident, failure to signal, unlawful removal of registration, improper turn, window-tint violation, violation of the light law, registration violation, violation of the due care law, failure to show proof of insurance and no seat belt. And that sounds like enough for one day.

Something to Nibble On
Lake Wales, Fla.—Some criminals choose to hide evidence; others destroy it. In Lake Wales, Fla., Vincent Thomas allegedly chose to eat it. According to police reports, police officer Sean Ouellette stopped Thomas for a window tint violation, but as he approached the vehicle saw Thomas was eating marijuana.

Ouellette’s attempt to arrest Thomas led to what became a vicious scene, as Thomas struggled to escape. A crowd of bystanders formed “shouting threats and profanities at Ouellette,” reports the Lake Wales News. One bystander, Donovan Gray, allegedly approached a public safety cadet and punched him in the chest.

As the scene escalated, police back up arrived and Thomas was handcuffed and placed in a patrol car. Reports say that when officers tried to arrest Gray for striking the cadet he began to fight them off, forcing officers to use tasers to subdue him.

Reports note that in the end Gray was charged with battery on a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest with violence; Thomas was charged with possession of less than 20 grams of marijuana, tampering with evidence and resisting arrest without violence. And the tint violation? There was no mention of that.

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