Commissioner says tint removal is serious business

| 01/04/2010

Cayman Islands News, Grand Cayman Island Local News, Royal Cayman Islands Police Service(CNS): Answering critics regarding the RCIPS’s road blocks and campaign to remove the tints from hundreds of cars across the island, the police commissioner has said it is serious business. David Baines said people should not ridicule the police for doing this as he said the use of tinted windows was the way that known gang members were able to move around the island and evade the police. Baines added that when tints are too dark, the police cannot see who is in a vehicle and check whether the people inside are wanted by law enforcement of if they have weapons or drugs. He warned that the police were committed to targeting tinted windows since it placed the police and public at risk as it enabled offenders to drive around with anonymity. (Photo by Dennie Warren Jr)

“Dark tinted windows, apart from being illegal, are a real safety issue, not just for our officers but for members of the public. Only on Thursday (25 March) a car with heavily tinted windows was seen driving off from the scene of the murder (Damion Ming) in West Bay,” Baines said. “So don’t ridicule or condemn us for taking this action. This is necessary as it helps to remove the cover by which gang members move around this island.”

He added that some 600 cars have had the tint removed, including from cars used by the gang members. He said it was all about making gang members visible to the police and witnesses when they are involved in crime.

He explained that road blocks and stop checks were part of the increased policing and keeping the streets safe because the blocks enabled police to track gang members and wanted individuals, as well as turning up guns and other weapons and drugs. The commissioner said the checks also provided an opportunity to gather important intelligence regarding the recent violent crime.

The police would continue with the road checks, Baines said, as well as the swamping of hot spots and strategic locations, with the primary goal of monitoring known offenders and disrupting gang activities.  

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  1. Ooo I'm Coming At You HARD! says:

    Isn’t there a law on the amount of tint you should have on your car?

    I have 35% all around and that is more than enough for me! On a very sunny day it isn’t easy to see inside from a distance coming onward, but once you get closer you can see plain as day. Ha! and at night, it’s like my car has no tint at all! Guess what? Nothing has happened to my upholstery all now!

    Go check those people who can’t afford to buy tint to put on their cars, and their seats and dashboards look WAY better than mine and yours!

    Why are you people complaining?! Put the allowed amount on and leave it at that.

    RCIP…Whats up with the peeps rolling round with ONLY the customized license plates on the front?? The Cayman Islands licence plate is not visible to oncoming traffic. Whats up with that? Get at um! Make um put their customized plate on the insides of their windshields if they gotta show them so bad!

  2. Anonymous says:

    Could the police also please impose a fine on the drivers or passengers in those cars they pull over for having their pants hanging beneath their butt? Can’t they get them for some sort of indicent exposure or so?

    On a serious note, great job and about time to send a strong message that the laws are there to be followed and not doing so will bring consequences for ALL.

    Please impse monetary fines. People only seems to sit up and take notice when they feel it in their wallets.

  3. Anonymous says:

    How about leaving tinted windows in cars untouched, and the police can then only pull over cars who’s windows they cannot see through? If having tinted windows is a big gangster culture giveaway then leaving them tinted will allow all police officers to pull over the correct car.  Once the tint is gone they will blend in with everyone else, a needle in the haystack sort of speak. 

     

    The only thing that boggles, for the exception of 96F coming up this summer needing tinted windows is this: The police force keeps telling us that “there a known handful of criminals breaking the law around our

    Island…” which we all know and agree, why is it that they do not know which car they drive, where they live, what they do etc?  Our Island has not grown much at all in land mass, keeping an eye on the few bad areas and the few criminals should not be too difficult. 

     

    I truly doubt pulling over a 70yr old citizen and stripping his/her tint will bring an end to this crime wave, and neither will taking the tint off of honest citizen’s cars.  Yet again we witness a futile exercise by a useless police force, and removing tint is supposed to make us all feel that much better…….

    • Baya says:

      I agree with you here, however, i have been pulled over for my lights, tint, sound system and even for being in a gang related area . police need to focus on the troublemakers and not cause innocent drivers stress over this. my windows my be tinted but you can see right through my car if you are sensible enough. also what does my system have to do with being gang related? are they trying to say i aminvolved in gang violence?

       

      LEAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE INNOCENT ALONE AND SEEK THE TROUBLEMAKERS!!!!!

  4. Anonymous says:

    The crack down and removal of illegal tints from vehicles is long over due, but  well done to RCIPS.  I hope they go after the Cherry Bomb mufflers too.

  5. Joe Mama says:

    Spoken like a true (I don’t care about anyone else but me) criminal and future inmate.  Thanks for sharing.

  6. Anonymous says:

    We need to send a strong signal that we don’t want gangsta culture in Cayman. Government also needs money. Change the law – $1000 fine for first offense of illegal window tint, $10,000 second offense, $100,000 third offense plus confiscation of vehicle, $100,000 fine for shops installing illegal tint – for each time they do it. That ought to end the problem quite quickly and free up police resources to do other things.

  7. Anonymous says:

    well just put it on to the legal level…… probably won’t look as cool… but remember we are on to your game…….

  8. Anonymous says:

    so obvious thats there’s a couple of wannabe tinted thugs on this board…. thank god they are outnumbered 10-1…… your time is up!

  9. Anonymous says:

    I Notice That Big Mac has his CHEVY TAHOE 5% tint 20% on the back window to be right on target with a officer driving him around.He is as normal as anyone one in the world why can his tahoe have dark tint ?Then agian people talk about corrupt police ha ha.The  lights also come on guys anyone that owns a bmw or any new car MOST OF THESE cars are coming from factory like that.Any when some one buys a brand new car it’s nice to protect your dash board and the back glasses come 20% criminal can still hide.

    • Anonymous says:

      2 wrongs don’t make a right!…try and have higher standards than others.. it ain’t that hard…

  10. Anonymous says:

    This action is not a minute too soon.  It has been talked about for years and I understood that legally there is a limit to the amount of tint which can be put on car windows.  Thus not only should offenders be made to remove an "illegal" tint, but they should also be fined for breaking the law.  I hope the RCIP will also monitor the businesses applying the tint, and again, if there is "illegal" tint on their premises they should be fined.  Further, Customs should have the right to seize "illegal" tint so that it doesn’t even get on to the Island in the first place!!  Also new cars with "illegal" tint.  Not rocket science!  Personally I find it VERY disconcerting to be sitting beside a car at traffic lights where I cannot see the people inside and, yes, whether they might be pointing a gun! 

  11. Anonymous says:

    How rude?? If anyone is the idiot it is you, and if anyone needs to shut up, it’s you.  Where do you get contempt from, he actually does care and is determined to get the job done.  You’ll see.

  12. judy says:

    I don’t mind removing tint license plate covers, but the tint on my front glass protecting the car from the heat of the sun – that’s a no no

    If they ask me to take it off I will have to replace it 

    • Anonymous says:

      This post shows exactly why we need – $1000 fine for first offence, $10,000 for second offense, $100,000 plus confiscation of the car for third offense plus why we need to fine anyone in the business of installing illegal vehicle tint $100,000 per vehicle.

  13. Anonymous says:

    I would be more concerned with finding our how all these cars get "suped up" and getting those pulled off the road until they’re "suped down" than tints.

    I would go further and ask the police how many "known gang members" have they managed to strip the tints off?

    This is one of those invasive police actions that seems lik it makes sense but has no merit.

    I don’t know about anyone else but you NEED tint in Cayman….protects your car’s upholstery and lowers your fuel consumption.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Your Joking  of course.

    What do they do when they get out of the car.

    Maybe they wear sunglasses

  15. Anonymous says:

    Perhaps they shouldn’t be driving, or wear sunglasses!

  16. Anonymous says:

    Have you never heard of sun glasses, fool.

  17. Joe Mama says:

    So they can only go out when they are in their overly tinted car? Sunglasses you fool and you are smoking too much ganja.  Try just smoking in the evenings.

    And for all you gangstas and gangsta wannabes,  just wear a tee shirt over your heads when you drive around.  Make sure its your gangs colors and yes make some holes for your eyes. Or better yet wear Mac masks.

  18. Bobby Anonymous says:

    Wear sunglasses, Oh bright one!!

  19. Phuk phuk says:

    If it’s that bad, you shouldn’t be driving!!!

    Tint is illegal on the front (except for a small band) anyway, so you are grasping here…

  20. Anonymous says:

    when checking on tints, ask the drivers for their drivers license and their Insurance Policy and you would be VERY surprised with what you WILL find.

  21. Anonymous says:

    Sunglasses!

  22. Baldric says:

    I’ve heard of special people, know as ‘Opticians’, who can fabricate special devices that cover the eyes know as ‘glasses’. I think these can be tinted anything you like without it being illegal.

    If that’s too expensive try Welder’s goggles.

  23. Anonymous says:

    sunglasses?

  24. Anonymous says:

    What about people with eye problems? They need the tint to protect them from the sun light.

     

    • Anonymous says:

      You dont get it do you! ..IT IS AGAINST THE LAW, let them wear dark glasses

  25. Tom McCallum says:

    I am so glad that some enforcement is finally happening on this.. this has been law for some time, and it resonated with many when I noted on a talk show "what happens if it is your mother/sister/wife abducted in the back of a car that is blackout tinted.. you could pull up next to that car at the traffic lights and you wouldn’t see anything".

    While imperfect, the "broken windows" theory of policing espoused by Mayor Giuliani in New York has significant merit….and ripping off tint has important safety and cultural ramifications too.

    Now for enforcement of DVD piracy laws.. more "broken windows", as every parent who brings home pirate DVDs is basically telling their kids that theft is ok.

     

     

    • Anonymous says:

      enforcement of what dvd piracy law??? its not exactly theft if there is no law saying it is an illegal act now is it!!!

      as for the tint.. when did having dark tint on your car make you a "gangsta" or a "thug"?? maybe there should be a better method of eye testing for the police force if they really need to have more than 30% light through the windows… even in florida its only 15 for the back and rear doors and 28 for the front!!

  26. Anonymous says:

    In regards to the bright white, blue yellow and now some pink headlights, i do wish the RICPS would addres the issue. Whilst driving home from work one night a car kept overtaking others by flashing the head lights (this was behind me), when he got behind me he did the same along with blowing his horn. Due to the area i was in there was not much shoulder to pull off on so rather than cause harm to myself i adjusted my mirrors. By not pulling off he put on his high bright white beams (blinding me temp) and attempted to overtake with oncoming traffic causing me and the driver in the next lane to run off the road. I stopped and called 911 and gave an account of what happened, a description of the car and the plate #. When i got to the four way stop in west bay i saw the car parked, i called 911 again and alerted them of the location of the car but until today have not heard anything. This could have been a disaster.

    These lights (most of) are modifications and people simply switch out the bulbs for their car inspections. They have the ability to cause harm to other drivers in many ways and perhaps the police should be given the authority to stop persons withthem and simply smash them and issue a ticket!

  27. Joe Grinder says:

    Motorcycles,The bain to my existence .

    Why is it that they can break every rule in the book.

    I believe that motorcycles are considered as the same as a motor vehicle,in the law of the roads ? Passing without cause, overtaking on the wrong side of the road,speeding.Weaving between traffic , like it is there privilege.I see it  every day, these infractions ,and you are right there is a guy with a Mohawk helmet that does what he pleases ,because the Police either cannot catch them or ignore him .The cops have a nice supply of motorcycles why not instead of looking for tags they could fight fire with fire.Go to any roundabout in the morning or at rush hour at any time ,they do not follow the rules of the road,why do you let them get away with it?

    • Joe Average says:

      YEAH MON.  The rider with the mohawk helmet.  This is for you:

      Yesterday dude…you were lane-splitting.  Cool.  But what you don’t get is when you ride that CLOSE to the sides of vehicles all it takes is a slight swerve by a driver and……….you’re part of their paint job…..and you’re TOAST.   Get it????

      I lost a good buddy that way.  I’m surprised you haven’t figured that out by now. 

      Ride Smart.

  28. Anonymous says:

    i rang crimestoppers to ask if i can report illegal window tinting… they sniggered a bit, said no and put down the phone…..

    it’s a pity because i believe it could be a vital first step in detecting alot of criminal behaviour

  29. Anonymous says:

     

    Mr.Baines – God bless you, sir, and all your staff for giving us some optimism for our future. Please keep up your good efforts!

     

     
    • second coming says:

      Shut up you idiot, if you think Baines is the future for the RCIPS then you really are deluded. Remove tint from vehicles? Yes, good idea, but how about removed corrupt/unskilled/uninterested and law breaking officers from the force first. Baines first comment on the island says it all – "we’ve been policing for 150 years, we know what we are doing.." No you don’t, you clearly don’t have an f’ing clue. How about tasking all of your hundreds of officers to ctually gather intelligence on the vehicles these ‘gang members’ are using? you could try that. Baines clearly treats Cayman and it’s crime problems with contempt. And now he’s bringing in more english cops… Tempura 2 anyone?

      And what’s with ‘gang related’ as a reason for a crime anyway? Sounds just like negative propaganda to me "we can’t solve this, because it’s ‘gang related"….

      • Anonymous says:

        only one person on this board should shut up – and the thumbs down say it’s you …LOL!

      • Joe Mama says:

        How about removeing ALL the corrupt/unskilled/uninterested and law breaking employees on the whole island?  Civil service would be cut in  half!  Goverment would be Gone!  Most of the islands problems would go with them.

  30. Anonymous says:

    Why not just make it illegal for any tint shop or free lancers to do the installation of illegal tint on vehicle windows. If the people putting on the tint were subject to a $100,000 fine per offence I suspect that there were be less dark tint on car windows.

  31. Anonymous says:

    Still a lot of cars driving around with the too dark tint, but what about the places that install tinting?  They know it’s illegal – and yet they still do it and have been for some years – can they not be prosecuted for this too?  As for the "brain donors" that feel they have todrive through town with the windows down, music so loud and you can feel the walls vibrate – an officer or two placed at the corner of Shedden and Harbor Drive would make a lot of money for the Government coffers – let’s say CI$250.00 fine for the first – AND FINAL offence – repeats will get not only their driver’s license revoked (if they have one) but the car confiscated to be sold at auction (more money for the coffers). Additional suggestions anyone?

  32. Anonymous says:

    As for tinted windows, any businesses or individual(s) who sells, supplies, distributes such tint for vehicles or applies such tint on vehicles (less than 35%) that would be in contravention of the law, should also be prosected accordingly.

    However, we have to bear in mind that tint can be legally used on windows of homes/commercial buildings, which would not be effected by any such law that may be inacted.

    This is the only way to stop illegal tinting of car windows, whose drivers and passengers are involved in criminal activity. 

    I hope that Commissioner Baines and Acting Attorney General Sheryl Richards QC consider these new changes in any new law or amendments thereof, to any such existing legislation.

         

  33. Anonymous says:

    When i originally brought in my car from Japan it already had tint and it would not pass at Licensing Dept until i took it off which of course i did, but they tested it there. So i am presuming that all vehicles are being tested for this every year. I also know that you can get your windows tinted on island whichmeans the companies doing this should be approached by the police as after inspection they just go and have it done !!

  34. Anonymous says:

    Factory tint is 22% and the law says 35%. Tell me how that falls within the legal guidelines. you can only hav factory tinit on the back and side glasses but not on the driver or passenger windows, whuch to me is stupid just make the front the same thing as the sides and back.

  35. Anonymous says:

    CASE SOLVED

    Good job!!!

      Dark tint will not be a "COLD CASE" like the rest of the Crime!!!.We’ve got Rape, Violent robbery attacks , Child Molestation, Burglary when your in your bed.Murder suspects let go after mishandling of evidence.

    Is that Big Mac in the blacked out SUV?

    When all the illegal tint is off all vehicles and this Gun violence continues then what?

    Just a thought what happens when the GUNMEN start using stolen motorcycles with full face helmets "tinted face" and can simply do a five o’clock traffic jam driveby on whoever they wish and leave there wake of terror behind in the bumper to bumper pile up.

     

  36. Live Free.... says:

    One of the problems my friend is that the police officers sometimes pull off the legal limit tint. During one of my vehicle inspection the officer said that my tint was to dark and that is was illegal, but I told him straight up that my tint is 35%, which is the legal limit and the only reason that it looks darker than it is, is because my car interior is black, so he went and used the tint tester gun and to no surprise it was the legal limit of 35%.I know alot of people has been pull down and wrongfully had their tint removed all because their car interior is dark, my advice to the officers that pulling down people, should carry a tint measuring gun in that way alot of people would not have their legal limit tint removed. The illegal limits my friend, is 25%, 10% and the most famous one 5% the safest limit is 35%. For the higher the percentage is, the lighter the tint and the lower the percentage is, the Darker the tint. And I’m pretty sure that cars can still be tinted, but not at the illegal limits and I have always used tint on all my cars and it has protected the interior of them very well, so having your car tinted is a good thing. And yes the law have the rights to have its vehicles tinted darker than we do for in those vehicles the law export known criminals/convics and also special agents that may have to go deep cover. We regular citizens don’t have those rights, so why tint our car 25% and lower? And by the way my friend, I have not seen any regular Police cars with any dark tint or any grade of tint on them, besides the special units, like what I have mention earlier, that the law having the rights to do so.

  37. Anonymous says:

    What most people don’t know is in a handbook which I’ve seen that belonged to a someone who worked for the Dept. Of Vehichle Licensing it stated that "If a vehicle’s rear windows are factory tinted, the owner is legally allowed to tint the front windows the same % as the factory tinted windows."
    I used to have 20% tint on my car windows and you could see perfectly into my car. Hell I used to have people calling me asking why so & so was in my car. 

    Like it’s been said before the GANGS have been around from time I was in middle high school or before and they should’ve started doing something about this a long time ago. Not wait until it finally got out of hand.
    Maybe they should stop looking down at Jamaica and start borrowing some of their soldier men to come clean out these gangsters in one clean sweep. I guarantee you those soldiers don’t joke around.

  38. Anonymous says:

    yes it is illegal to have blue headlights …………the police need to enforce this too

  39. Anonymous says:

    Too bad so many on Cayman just don’t like being told what to do. I guess Cayman has never had a great leader.  One who can teach his people by example what to do and more important why.  Until then Cayman will be made up of many individuals who all belive that they have the right to do what ever they like and a group of good people that have to put up with them.

    • Truth B Told says:

      That is why there is also far to many pointless criminal appeals in Cayman – how much money was wasted on a criminal appealing twice, ending up in the Privy Council, only for them to say that the appeal was meritless?

  40. Cmon Son! says:

    Nope, they are perfectly legal!

    I dont mind people with HID lights, but I only ask they you tune them to shine correctly.

    I went to court for this and because my car came from factory with them I beat the case.

    It is only illegal to have HIDs if your car does not come fromt the factory equiped with them. If you want to install them you must install headlamps that are meant to have HIDs (according to the judge).

  41. noname says:

    This is pure garbage. Typical policing by our beloved RCIP. Cayman has become about as safe as Bahgdad so what do they do, strip peoples tint. The criminals they are after are well known to the police. They know where they reside so why not take the fight to the offenders instead of making the general public suffer. To be honest my faith in the RCIP has vanished. The RCIP should basically pack it up and just become another branch of the Licensing Dept. because we all know all police do around here is check for out-dated coupons and apparently now tint.

    • Anonymous says:

       Hahahahaha…… oh my….. thank you for the laugh….. "as safe as Bahgdad"……. yes, I did see an exploding teddy bear in the street yesterday… and militia roadblocks with AK-47s at every district. Kirky is packing some grenades in those cargo pants!

      "The easiest way to stay safe in Baghdad is not to go there in the first place" – http://iguide.travel/Baghdad/Safety

      Seriously, though… we have a problem, but for goodness sake.. put it into context & don’t repeat this opinion again or people, especially those in the armed forces, will just laugh at you.

  42. Anonymous says:

    Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/01/2010 – 10:48.

     

    Dear Anonymous,

    Think about it…if you are assisting the police in an investigation, would you want every tom, dick and harry and their grandmother to know that?

    Of course not! 

    Hence the reason for the tinted out unmarked police cars – it is there for the privacy and protection of those who assist the police.

  43. Anonymous says:

    Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 04/01/2010 – 10:48.

     

    Dear Anonymous,

    Think about it…if you are assisting the police in an investigation, would you want every tom, dick and harry and their grandmother to know that?

    Of course not! 

    Hence the reason for the tinted out unmarked police cars – it is there for the privacy and protection of those who assist the police.

  44. Anonymous says:

    Maybe because they are the police and it might be necessary in doing certain jobs.  Why does it matter to you whether they have tinted windows or not?  There’s a huge difference with police and criminals…who would you rather have the tint on their windows?

  45. Anonymous says:

    cns/mr baines: is there an annonymous way i can report cars with illegal tinting?

    CNS: The police have the new phone number (949-7777) which they say is confidential, but for some reason the RCIPS does not have an email address for reporting crime. However, there’s always Crime Stoppers. You can provide information online anonymously http://www.crimestoppers.ky

    • smith says:

      chap…

      just foolishness!

      There are many cars that are manufactured with tinted glass that is impossible to see through

      Baines need to focus his energy elsewhere!  Some police vehicles are dark tinted as well…

  46. Anonymous says:

    well done and keep it up!

    this is no small issue, this will result in alot of criminals being detected and getting their cars searched

    and most importantly, it send out the messgage that this thug mentality is not acceptable

    • Anonymous says:

      Way to go! Any one who rides a bicycle on this island will be thankful for this! One takes their life in their hands if one passes in front of an automobile stopped at a side road waiting to enter the main road with out making eye contact with the driver of the auto. Heavily tinted windows hide the driver and one has no way of knowing if he/she has seen you on your bike as many drivers have no respect for bikes to begin with and view them as fair game. My suggestion is to also fine the shop who imports and applies this tint. I suppose that may be a very difficult law to enforce, but the dark tints must go!

      • Anonymous says:

        Good point. But some bike riders need to have respect for us drivers too. I don’t have tint on my car but many times I’ve encountered bike riders that believe they own the road. They ride on the wrong side or the middle of the road with no lights and when traffic is built up it’s only a miracle that some of our vehicles’ side mirrors, doors or rear ends avoids a collision with some impatient rider who cannot wait for enough space to pass. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky recently as I had my new car damaged by the handlebar of one of these idiots. Maybe the next time he’ll bump into someone who’s not going to count to 10.

  47. Anonymous says:

    It’s about time!! … how else are you supposed to give a discription of the driver in a getaway car or hit and run if you cant even see inside?  how can you see if it is a wanted person behind the wheel or if the person driving has a gun with him ?  

    The obvious added benefits are also to be able to see if persons in the vehicle are wearing a seat belt, on a cell phone, etc etc  

  48. Anonymous says:

    Wonder if they stripped it off that Black Mercedes that often seems to be hiding in the bushes.

    • Right ya so says:

      the same applies to the white honda suv that drives into town every morning along thomas russell and elgin ave – the tint is so dark it looks like they’ve spray painted black paint on all of the windows.

  49. Anonymous says:

    I agree that this is a worth cause, my only issue is that it is quite easy to turnaround when you see the road block and take a different route.  Therefore, the innocent people go through the road block and the criminals are missed.

  50. CaymanLover says:

    If memory serves, isnt 35% and up legit?  What I believe the RCIPS are doing is forcing people to remove any below that percentage.  I see cars all the time with 20% and 5% tint and you simply cannot see inside the vehicle.  We the public begged the RCIPS to do more to shine the light on criminal activity so there you go.  Yes tint keeps your car cooler, just apply the legal type ie not mirror tint or too dark and get over it.

    I don’t care what tint is on the RCIPS cars – you really want everyone to see what equipment or which officers are in the car so they can be targeted.  DUHHHHH.

     

  51. Caymanian By Birth Pt2 says:

    I Just noticed the part about a dark  tinted vehicle speeding off at Damion Ming’s Murder Scene…Why didn’t someone get the license plate # or type of vehicle??…

    I’m just saying you know…this could have probably helped the RCIPS… with solving these crimes in our beautiful island.. I hope they capture all of these criminals and lock them away for good!!!…

    So i heard is the police hasn’t examine Birch Tree Hill for there criminals in that area… CNS is this true??….

    They should seek getting them all into custody for questioning … and ask of what they know this could also be a step forward… on helping solve these crimes!

    • Response to Caymanian By Birth Pt2:

      Just because a crime happens in an area, doesn’t mean that the people in the area did it or know about it. Still, I will agree that KNOWN criminals from around the area should be gathered up for questioning. As for the part about getting the licence plate number and the description of the car, that would be VERY helpful and something that we the general public needs to start doing. We, the people, have to startbeing more vigilant and taking notice of everything, even when it may not seem like anything much at the time.

      I’ve heard a bit about what’s going on in the streets and it was said that those involved weren’t from the area, but was actually part of the same "gang" that Mr. Ming was part of. Those same individuals were arrested and briefly questioned, but never detained for more than a few hours. Those individuals are right now, as I write this, back on the streets and able to go about doing what they usually do.

      The only question now is: How long again before they’ll kill again or be involved in a killing or other crime?! Their lawless, crime filled lives will continue, as long as they’re allowed to roam freely.

  52. Anonymous says:

    What about the annoying "blue" headlights?  They can be quite blinding at night.  Is there a law that states that these are illegal?

    • Anonymous says:

      I must agree that the ‘blue’ lights now prevalent on a lot of the vehicles is annoying and BLINDING to oncoming vehicles.  Just the other night I was "blinded by the light". 

      Yes, I know that these lights may come installed on some new vehicles as OEM, but most we see here are after market modifications.

      I do however remember reading sometime ago, that this issue was prosecuted by the police, but a technicality in the law/regulations forced the magistrate to dismiss the case. So…. unless the the regulations are changed to specify the color head lights allowed, then it probably will continue, unfortunately.

       
  53. Anonymous says:

    Just out of curiousity , How is it the Police "Unmarked"Cars are allowed to be tinted so dark that you can’t see if anyone is seated in the whether looking in from the side windows or the windshield? Is it because it’s a law enforcer vehicle they are able to bend the law to suit them?

    • zzzz says:

      It’s not like police don’t get to do lots of things that normal citizens can’t do, like carry guns, drive through red lights at high speed, carry around drugs (presumably in the course of duty), arrest people and haul them away… 

      Were it me, I’d give them invisibility cloaks and bazookas.

      • Anonymous says:

        Yeah that’s just what you want. God forbid police corruption / brutality be a concern. 

    • Anonymous says:

      This law has been in effect for many years and the Police never ever enforced it.  Just like loud music with language no one would want their children to hear coming from vehicles.  I myself have witnessed this driving by the police station, with police standing outside not doing anything!!!   If the police had took the initiative from the start maybe we wouldn’t be in this prediciment now.  Just like we didn’t have gangs 5 years ago, come on gangs have been a problem in the Cayman Islands before Ivan!!!

      Now that it has gotten out of hand they are being diligent about it…alittle to late don’t you think!

    • Doh says:

      If the criminals were smart – which they ain’t – they would stop tinting their cars and then they could tell a police car a mile off since they would be the ones so heavily tinted… 

    • Anonymous says:

      ?? whats your point on this??

    • Bobby Anonymous says:

      There watching youuuuuuuuuuuu! Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha. Nothing to hide. Nothing to fear!!!!

       

  54. Caymanian By Birth says:

    This actually makes sence…. I Agree 100% with Mr.Baines.

    Even though tint also helps alot to keep your vehicle cool on a hot island such as the Cayman Islands.

    Kudos to Mr.Baines…Keep up the good work sir….and don’t forget the Birch Tree Hill Gang Members as I’m Terribly afraid of them ….whenever I visit any family members in West Bay in that area!!

    THANK YOU ALOT MR.BAINES KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK  AND CATCH THOSE CRIMINALS !!!

    • Nicky Watson says:

      This comment was flagged as abuse with this comment: "This person is the same as another who posted under a similar name and is focusing on Birch Tree Hill, where Iam from. If I am not allowed to comment back in a decent manner, you should either remove or edit their comments."

      There’s no reason why you shouldn’t comment on this. If your comment was deleted there was some other reason. You can email me if you have any questions.

  55. Anonymous says:

    Yes… keep it up RCIPS.

    Many take time to write about how the RCIPS spend time doing the small things and supposedly not enough on the BIG problems, but I for one am a firm believer that these smaller things add up and eventually the BIG ones come tumbling down.

    The rules are the rules.. and when someone breaks the law and puts dark tiny, or blinding blue lights, or speeds etc.. its all indicative of the fact that maybe, just maybe they might be game to go even further.. maybe break bigger rules… commit crimes even.

     

    Go after the unlicensed, the uninsured, the noise makers, the blacked out cars, and surely in the mix you’ll be able to one by one pull these weeds out of the lovely garden, Cayman.

  56. Anonymous says:

    Can’t believe anyone would ridicule the police requiring the removal of illegal tint, except criminals or rather confused individuals.

     
  57. Anonymous says:

    Just out of curiousity, Why are the Police Unmarked cars tinted to darkly then? Is it because since they are law enforcers they ae allowed to bend the law to suit them? I’ve seen numerous Police ‘unmarked’ cars tinted so darkly that you couldn’t even see whether someone was in the vehicle.  This was attempting to look both throw the side windows & the windshield.

    • D Rite Grade says:

      Totally agree with you on the tinted police vehicles. I see them everyday.

      I am a long time Government employee who upholds the law and my car has on tint that is the allowed grade.  On the night of one of these recent murders, I was pulled over during one of the road blocks by an officer about this issue. I tried to explain to him that if it’s night and the interior of my car is black, of course it’s going to appear to dark but, I was more than happy to have the tint tested the next day and get back to him just to satisfy his curiosity. Apparently, my response was not good enough for this officer and I was dealt with as if I was some kind of criminal who had just committed the murder! I can understand the stand the RCIPS is taking on tint but, come on guys, when in doubt, please take the necessary steps to prove yourselves right before you rough up innocent civilians.

  58. Anonymous says:

    Mr. Baines, I’m not here to criticize you or your officers for the work you are doing . But what I would like is for you to let the public know if we are allowed to have tint on our vehiclesand  if so what is the legal limit I can understand these vehicles thats running up and down with tint and is totally black out. But your officers and pulling down people that has on legal or atleast they thought they where  after getting there vehicle pass by the vehicle and licensing Dept and gettin git torn off . All i’m asking is for you to let us the public know TINT or NO TINT thats the question . I’m also hoping that these officers are removing there own tit from there personal vehicles becasue theres a  few that have a little too dark on theres as well.

  59. Anonymous says:

    Keep up the pressure !!!

    Rip off that tint…  They will just put it back, but at least they will spend @ 5 hours of their time doing something else.

     

     

    • koko says:

      I don’t mind putting illegal tint back onto my car. The sun damages the dashboard – so I need the tint.

      cheerrs 🙂

  60. lacy says:

    Umm

    What happens if your car is manufactured with dark tint windows?  You can’t possibly ask people to remove their glass windows.

    Just my 2 cent

    • Doh says:

       Manufacturers tint falls within the legal guidelines – it is not too dark under the law.

      • brad says:

        FALSE!

        Even if they are tinted within the legal guidelines, I KNOW FOR CERTAIN – you cannot see through them! So your comment is immaterial.

  61. Anonymous says:

    Tinted licence plate covers should be removed as well.

    • Anonymous says:

      I agree, and would add that "smoked out headlights and indicators" to the list as well. 

      The local merchants that peddle in "wangsta" car accessories should be put on notice!  There are a few of them!

    • Anonymous says:

      this is also against the law to obscure your vehicle licence plate in any manner

      • Anonymous says:

        It is.  Cops have been pulling over people who don’t have their license plate displayed on the front bumper of their cars.  A pain, but guess they want to enforce the laws now in light of everything that has happened.