Starting Friday, police will be looking for vehicles with window tinting that's too dark.

Greensboro police said marked and unmarked police cars will conduct checkpoints as well as pull over vehicles during patrols.

Sergeant T.A. Long said the focus of the campaign is safety.

“Vehicles that have window tint that is too dark that is applied after market plays a role in crashes because it reduces visibility, especially times in the evening when the ambient light in the area would not require other vehicles to have on their headlights, but if you are window tinting, you are not able to see the vehicles approaching, you also are not able to see smaller vehicles such as motorcycles,” said Long.

Greensboro police said darkened or obscured windows contributed to 42 crashes in the city in 2011. Officers also handed out 133 citations for windshield or window tint violations.

State law makes window tinting illegal when the total light transmitted through the front or side windows is 35 percent or less. Long said fines can be costly.

“Using a window tint meter, the state requirment is that it has to be at least 32 percent to give a variance for the instrument that you are using. The other requirements are such things that the window tint can't be red, yellow or amber and certain parts of the windshield that can't be tinted. If found to be in violation, the fine is currently $50 plus court costs, which are $240 for a total of $290 for the violation,” said Long

The police campaign will last through February 24.