The choice of device for a Police Officer will largely depend on the specific role the Officer is assigned to. As the job is incredibly varied there are quite a range of different size and power of models recommended for the role, however, there are two features that are common accross all the recomended flashlights.
The first of these features is a tactical level beam. This enables the Officer to temporarily blind a suspect's night-adapted vision - the tactical level beam that these Surefire models emit has proved in the hands of US Officers that many, many times a suspect can be apprehended far easier and with far less force required after they have taken the sharp, piercing beam of a high power Surefire in their eyes, startling them and leaving them temporarily blinded and disorientated. With the extremely high powered models such as the M3 CombatLight and 10X Dominator this is even true in full daylight, without the suspect having night-adapted vision.
The next feature needed is the unit must be suitable for holstering. Officers have to carry a wide selection of kit about their person and - like all other kit - the torch must be suitable for holstering to allow for convenient carry of the device.
For vehicle based Officers, the rechargeable Surefire Torches are recommended. The slightly larger size of the 8AX, 8AN and 9AN models is of less importance since the device can be stored - and also charged - in the vehicle. These also have the advantage that they can be used with a traffic wand. The 10X Dominator is a excellent choice for a vehicle based role as the unit is supplied with a car charging mount, couple this with its large reflector and incredibly high-powered 500 lumen beam, it really is like having a high-powered searchlight at your disposal, although the 10X is not suited for use with a traffic wand.
The 9AN Commander and 10X Dominator are particularly useful when you take into consideration their Dual Output beam, therefore allowing close range work with a low-light ouput. The last thing you want as a Police Officer is to ruin your own night-vision!
Armed Police should mainly consider the M3 CombatLight from this section to ensure they get a torch with in-built shock-isolation to ensure the device will cope with the recoil from a firearm, unless they are equiped with a sidearm, in which case the Z2 CombatLight using the Surefire/Rogers technique is the most recommended tool. Alternatively, look to the Miltary section of the buyers guide for more shock-isolated devices intended for use in conjuction with a firearm.
The torches recommended for Police and Law Enforcement use are listed after this Buyers Guide article or you can click the following links for in-depth information about each of the torch models -
Click 'Next' below to go the next section of the Buyers Guide - I Need a Torch for Work - Search and Rescue
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