D.C. board seeks tint-meter training and clearer enforcement rules

The District of Columbia’s Police Complaints Board released a window-tint enforcement report on September 29, 2026, recommending clearer procedures for the Metropolitan Police Department. The official announcement focuses on equipment, officer training and consistent application of the District’s existing law.

The board’s four recommendations address stops initiated primarily for suspected illegal tint when officers lack the necessary meter or training; accurate windshield-tint guidance; clearer written enforcement requirements after a measured violation; and regular review of tint-stop patterns for possible bias.

The report also records MPD’s response. In its final footnote, the board says the department agreed with all four recommendations and planned an officer reminder, refresher training and a clarification to its traffic-enforcement order. That response establishes a stated plan, rather than proof that each change has been completed.

MPD’s publicly posted traffic order, reviewed October 14, already requires trained personnel and a department-issued or authorized meter for tint measurements. Its tint section still contains the conditional wording “If an NOI is issued” that the board wants clarified. A notice of infraction is the department’s written citation.

The report does not enact a new tint limit. D.C. Code § 50-2207.02 generally sets a minimum of 70% light transmission for front windshields and front-side windows, while separately addressing minivans, the windshield’s upper strip and exempt vehicles. Those distinctions matter: the policy discussion cannot be reduced to a blanket ban on all windshield tint.

Completion of MPD’s promised changes was not verified in the materials reviewed.