LED Police Lights – How These Lights Differ from Other Light Sources

April 22nd, 2010

You have many choices when it comes to outfitting your fleet of police cars with lighting. Since police lights play an intricate role in officer safety and the fulfillment of job duties, it is important to select lights that help the officer do their job effectively. Through the years, police cars have been equipped with different types of lights. However the current upgraded model of LED police lights are proving to be the best kind of lights enforcement vehicles can have. Here are a few ways LED lights are better than rotating or strobe lights.

When it comes to design, rotating lights are about as basic as you can get for lights. Generally, there is a single bulb around which a curve mirror is spun to create a rotating light effect. In the beginning, rotating lights were mainly used in beacons but are also used in light bars just like LED police lights. Some beacons are constructed as a colored plastic dome with a plain bulb while others are constructed with a clear dome and a colored bulb. In modern day light bars, mirrors are placed in a V formation to generate the effect of multiple flashing lights.

Strobe lights, on the other hand, employ a different lighting method. Similar to strobe lights used in flash photography, these xenon flash lamps emit light in flashes by ionizing and igniting the gas inside of them. These lights have a bluish tint which causes red lights to look fuchsia. Although a multipurpose light, strobe lights still do not have the full range of capabilities that LED police lights have. Additionally, both rotating and strobe lights use a lot of power which can put stress on the car battery.

LED, or Light-Emitting Diodes, is a semiconductor light that manipulate electrons and photons to produce light. LED police lights have several advantages over rotating and strobe lights. The first is that LED lights are much more energy efficient than their counterparts. This means, they won’t put as much stress on the battery. They are longer lasting, more durable and reliable over the long term. Since they are smaller than rotating and strobe lights, they allow for a thinner light bar which in turn helps reduce wind resistance. However, a major benefit is that LED lights can be programmed in a wider variety of flash patterns including strobe and directional. Although more expensive than other types of lights, LED lights present the better value in today’s technologically advanced world.

Police Grill Lights – Putting the Spotlight on Perpetrators

April 20th, 2010

Every year police officers are injured and killed during basic traffic stops simply because a driver was not paying attention and ran into them. Because of this, police cars will have emergency lighting installed in a variety of places on their vehicles. This is done to maximize their attention-getting effect and make sure that those they share the road with notice them and act appropriately. On most cars, lighting will include roof top light bars, dash and deck bars, police grill lights, front and rear flashers, and sometimes running lights on the sides of the car.

Police grill lights, however, serve multiple purposes. The standard red and blue lights, when activated, serve as a warning and notice to others on the road as to their presence in the area. When clear lights are installed in the grill, they work with the vehicles regular headlights to provide additional light to a dark area. This is becoming more popular on undercover police vehicles that need takedown lights. This is particularly beneficial when the police officer is stopping a vehicle at night on a road that has no streetlamps. That added light can help the officer get a better look at the overall situation and detect hidden dangers that they might not otherwise have seen in dimmer lighting.

Police grill lights come in a variety of styles. Halogen lights are incandescent lights made with a tungsten filament and halogen gas. These lights are pretty powerful, having the ability to operate at higher temperatures than regular gas lamps and still last a long time. Although they are small, they can produce quite a bit of light and are the most common types of lights used on cars. Xenon strobe lights are also made of gas. However, they are created to emit a flash of light at quick intervals. These are generally used as warning lights and usually only come in red, green, or yellow lights for the grill.

LED police grill lights are semiconductor lights that manipulate electron and photons to generate light. These types of lights are being used with increasing frequency because they last long, are energy efficient, vibration resistant, and durable. Their small size allows them to be packaged in shallower casings which in turn can make room for other things like a siren. One additional benefit to LED lights is that they can be programmed into a variety of flash patterns including ones that can be used to control traffic. Grill lights can provide additional safety and security to an otherwise dangerous job. No police car should be without them.

LED Light Bars – Modern Day Technology Saves Lives and Money

April 19th, 2010

When there is an emergency, response personnel need to get to their destination quickly but safely. Sometimes the difference between life and death is a matter of minutes which is why all emergency service vehicles are equipped with a warning system. This system generally includes lights and a siren that is used to signal other people on the road to make way for them. For a long time, the vehicles used by fire, police and EMS were equipped with light bars that used an incandescent lighting scheme. However, more and more of them are switching over to using LED light bars.

LED, or light-emitting diodes, is an electrical component that is frequently used in electronics like televisions, calculators, and computers. It is a semiconductor that produces light by manipulating neutrons and photons. When they were first developed, LEDs only produced enough light to illuminate a very small area. They were mainly used to replace incandescent or neon indicator lamps. However, advances in the technology have produced lights that shine bright enough to be used in lighting schemes like LED light bars. Today’s LEDs bear little resemblance to their predecessors.

Response vehicles are making the switch to LED light bars because LEDs offer a number of benefits that surpass their incandescent and strobe counterparts. Firstly, LEDs are energy efficient which means they are less of a strain on the vehicle battery. Although a little more expensive, they last longer and are more durable so in the long term they actually cost the same as other bulb types. LED bulbs are much smaller which allows for the production of smaller light bars which helps make vehicles more aerodynamic and fuel efficient. This is especially a concern for police cars which often have to chase reckless drivers and perpetrators down the road.

Overall, LED light bars helps response services save money which, in this economy, could actually save someone’s job. Since they last longer and are more energy efficient they contribute to a healthier environment because less of these lights will find their way into landfills. These light bars can be purchased anywhere warning lights are sold. However, the best place to purchase them is through an online vendor. Because an internet vendor has lower overhead costs than a brick and mortar store, they can offer a lower price on the products. However, before whipping out the company credit card, take your time to research the company you are considering buying from to ensure you are dealing with a reputable business.

Police Car Lights – Choosing the Best Emergency Lights for Your Fleet

April 18th, 2010

Contrary to popular belief there are actually several types of police cars. In addition to the standard traffic, response and unmarked cars, police also use patrol cars, general purpose cars, community liaison vehicles, K-9 units, surveillance cars, decoy and bait cars, rescue units, demo cars, and sport utility vehicles. These vehicles serve different purposes within the law enforcement community but almost all of them are outfitted with an array of lights. Whether the lights are blended into the vehicle to make it less noticeable on the road, or the car is outfitted to be purposely conspicuous each car type has its own light profile that needs to be considered when buying police car lights for them.

Patrol cars, response cars, traffic cars, K-9 units sport utility vehicles are vehicles that have all the bells and whistles installed when it comes to lighting. Since these cars are generally the ones that handle both emergency and crime in progress situation, they must have the equipment necessary to get to their destinations quickly and safely. The police car lights installed on these cars are roof top light bars, dash and deck light bars, grill lights, and head and tail light flashers. Cars outfitted with this combination ensure the vehicle will be seen in a variety of lighting situations.

Unmarked cars and surveillance cars are generally used when the police officer wants to maintain a low profile. The situations that call for this type of subtlety vary between catching traffic violators in the act to performing undercover surveillance of known perpetrators. Police car lights on these cars need to be cleverly hidden. Therefore, removable dash and deck light bars are appropriate as well as head and tail flashers, and sometimes grill lights. The goal is to blend in with the crowd but be able to move into an active mode when needed.

Demo cars, community liaison cars, and decoy cars are non essential vehicles that do not need to be fully equipped with lights like their official counterparts. In fact, decoy cars, which are generally retired police cars, can actually have some of their lighting removed and installed on an active car. Since they are not used in any official crime fighting capacity, these cars can get away with only having basic police car lights installed. A roof top light bar and maybe grill lights are usually sufficient. When outfitting your fleet with necessary equipment, consider the car’s role in the force and install only what is necessary. Your budget will thank you.

Emergency Dash Lights – Why More Cars Are Moving to Interior Lights Only

April 17th, 2010

When it comes to lighting, police cars have evolved over the years. In the beginning, police cars used fixed lights but quickly graduated to rotating beacons to announce their presence. These beacons were attached to a light bar on the top of the car alongside a siren. Eventually, the light bar turned into a single piece that encompassed both lighting and sound which could be mounted easily on top of the car. Conscious of how these bulky light bars interferes with the vehicles aerodynamics, LED lights are now being used to create thinner light bars. However, some districts are removing the roof top light bars altogether and switching to interior emergency dash lights only.

Speed and maneuverability are of the utmost importance when chasing criminals or trying to get to an emergency situation quickly. Rooftop light bars add both weight and wind resistance to the police vehicle causing it to drag. Additionally, this added resistance also makes the car somewhat fuel inefficient raising their operation costs. Removing the rooftop light bar and using emergency dash lights as well as grill lights, eliminates the bulk of these problems. Cars also gain the added benefit of becoming stealthier and thus making it a little easier to sneak up on traffic violators.

Emergency dash lights come in a variety of styles. They can be installed on both the dash and deck of the car. As an alternative, the lights, usually flat LED light bars can also be mounted under the sun visors. The lights can be permanently attached to the interior of the car as is generally the case with fully marked cars. Unmarked cars can make use of removable panels that can be plugged into the vehicles cigarette lighter. To prevent light from being reflected back into the interior of the car and blinding the police officer, most light bars are outfitted with shields.

Although there are many benefits to removing the rooftop light bar and only using interior emergency dash lights, there is one major drawback. Most of the light will be concentrated in the front and back of the car, leaving the sides of the car in the dark. This can cause safety concerns as it would be more difficult to see all of the hazards surround the car in the dark. All in all though, fleet managers may find that altering a few vehicles to interior lighting only benefits their budget greatly. Consider all the options and choose the one that’s right for your force.