How to Select LED Police Vehicle Lights
LED police vehicle lights provide consistent and reliable visibility for squad cars, SUVs and other emergency vehicles used in the course of local, state and federal law enforcement operations.
Choosing the right emergency light bars, warning lights, sirens and related products is critical to police officer safety as well as the safety of the public. Fortunately, the advanced technology of today’s LED lights provides an unparalleled level of illumination and durability.
A quick overview of the different types of emergency LED lights available today for police vehicles will provide the knowledge base necessary for making the right selections.
Why Choose LED Emergency Lights?
As compared to the alternatives, LED emergency lights provide superior visibility and durability but require very little power to operate. And, because these lights are so energy efficient, they result in less wear and tear on police vehicles, specifically the battery and alternator. And, when you consider the extremely long lifespan of LEDs, they are highly cost-effective – an important consideration for law enforcement agencies at every level.
LEDs provide maximum visibility – Ensuring that police vehicles are highly visible on the road ensures the safety and efficacy of law enforcement officers – and lights dramatically increase the visibility of police vehicles. However, not all types of bulbs are equally visible.
LED lamps (bulbs) offer the best visibility, as compared to other types of lamps, due to their high level of output as well as the color temperature of the light. The color temperature of daylight is approximately 5,600 Kelvin. LEDs weigh in at 6,000 K – whiter than daylight – as compared to high-intensity discharge (HID) lights (also known as Xenon) at 4,500 K and standard halogen lamps at 3,200 K. This means that emergency LED lights are highly visible during the day, as well as at night.
LEDs are highly durable – LEDs are not lightbulbs in the traditional sense. They are actually small silicon chips that, when shone through a lens, produce the bright, visible light they have become known for. These types of lights do not use filaments and essentially have no moving parts or pieces. As a result, they provide substantial durability, even in the most challenging conditions. These lamps are more resistant to cold temperatures, resisting some of the most common problems presented by other types of lamps, such as cracking, and they do not require a warming-up period.
LEDs require very little power for operation – Traditional bulbs require electricity to heat a filament until it glows – the phenomenon known as incandescence. LEDs do not use this process to produce light. Instead, these lamps use a phenomenon known as electroluminescence. Thus, LEDs use substantially less power because, in the creation of electroluminescence, the direct conversion of electric energy to light occurs without generation of heat.
The bottom line is that reduced power draw is good for the environment and good for police vehicles. Vehicle battery power can be redirected for other uses and both the vehicle’s battery and alternator will last longer and suffer less wear-and-tear over time.
LEDs are highly cost-effective – Thanks to the durability of these lamps, emergency LED lights last longer than the alternatives. Since they do not have to be replaced as often, this means less downtime for police and emergency vehicles and less labor required for maintenance. Although they may have a higher initial cost in some cases, they are more cost-effective over time.
LEDs are environmentally friendly – Thanks to their low power usage and long life, these lamps have substantially less impact on the environment. And, whereas many other types of lamps cannot be recycled, LEDs are non-toxic and easily recyclable.
LED Visor Light Bars for Police Cars
LED visor light bars, including flip-down visor lights, offer amazing flexibility for illumination in various settings. Although visor lights may be small in size, advanced LED technology provides powerful illumination when and where you need it. When it is not in use, your visor light bar will blend seamlessly into the vehicle.
The Hawking Linear 3-watt Interior Visor Led Emergency Vehicle Light Bar features a sleek design and clear lens, designed to be discreet. This model installs in minutes using the included visor clips and cigarette lighter power cord. However, you can also mount this model permanently and hard-wire it to your existing switchbox.
This Hawking model offers 15 warning light patterns with color options that include blue/amber, green/amber, amber/white, red/white, red/blue, blue/white, green/white, red/amber and more.
Mini Emergency Vehicle LED Light Bars
Mini emergency vehicle LED light bars are ideal for smaller police vehicles. Although the size may be scaled down in the mini light bar, the illumination capacity is not. These lights use the same advanced technology as full size bars, emitting a powerful beam that can be seen even during the day.
The Condor Linear Emergency 3-watt LED bar is a diminutive 23 inches wide but it packs a punch while using very little power. Its double-layer aluminum housing is low-profile and fully weatherproof thanks to its epoxy coating. This model offers the ability to control the front and rear display separately. You can select from 15 different light patterns as well as 4 traffic advisory patterns. This bar can be wired to an existing switchbox or plugged into the vehicle’s cigarette lighter power outlet.
Mounting of the Condor mini bar is simple, using the provided magnets. This eliminates the need for drilling holes in the vehicle’s roof. It is important to note, however, that magnetic mounting is not recommended for vehicles that travel in excess of 50 miles per hour, battle high winds or traverse rough terrain. If your police vehicle experiences any of these conditions, manufacturers strongly recommend permanent mounting of any mini LED emergency light bar.
Full-Size Police LED Light Bars
Full-size police LED light bars provide high visibility up-close as well as for long distances. They also offer a wide range of illumination options to fit every possible scenario.
These light bars are simple to install and wire. With countless options for mounting, you can adapt these bars to fit virtually any make or model police vehicle.
The Avian Eye Linear Emergency 3 watt LED Light Bar (63 inches) is a popular, high-performance model that uses Gen 4 three-watt linear LED technology with an advanced microprocessor. Choose from 15 warning patterns and 4 traffic advisory patterns using the simple button controller. It has a self-contained internal flasher.
This model offers the option for takedown illumination, which illuminates the area in front of the vehicle, as well as alley mode, which illuminates the area to the sides of the vehicle. Alley mode is most commonly used to illuminate house numbers and for investigating activity in dark alleyways, between buildings, etc. Finally, you can select work light mode. This mode is similar to the takedown mode but it illuminates the area behind the vehicle.
The Avian Eye model also allows you to control the front and rear of the light bar separately, so you can avoid blinding other offers following behind.
LED Emergency Dash & Deck Lights
Emergency LED dash lights are appropriate for use on police vehicle dashboards as well as the rear deck of police cars. These small, discreet lights are used in both standard and undercover police vehicles.
Available in linear configuration, you can select a single or double 6-light strip. You can also choose 4- or 8-strip emergency dash LED lights, such as the Vulture 8 Fusion Frontier 3-watt emergency LED dash/deck light. This light offers a lifespan of up to 100,000 hours, using Gen 4 LED technology. These lights come with suction cups that mount easily to the dash or deck without the need to drill holes – although you can also mount this model permanently using L-brackets. With 17 available flash patterns and simple-to-use controls, this is an ideal choice for larger police vehicles such as SUVs.
Choosing the Right LED Police Vehicle Lights for You
When it’s time to purchase LED police vehicle lights, you cannot take chances with your source or the specific products you choose.
LED Equipped is the preferred emergency LED lighting source for law enforcement agencies across the United States. We offer the highest quality products at budget-friendly prices and our customer service is second-to-none. We have the utmost respect for our law enforcement agencies and we do whatever it takes to ensure your satisfaction.
We can help you select the right light bars, mini light bars, visor lights, dash and deck lights and any other products you need.
To make your selection even easier and more affordable, we have assembled several discount emergency LED police light bundle options. We offer discount light packages for police cars, police SUVs and other emergency vehicles.
For example, our Economy Full Car Bundle comes complete with one high performance Gen 4 TIR Falcon Flight 48-inch LED light bar, six Swift 3.0 TIR 6 Grille LED surface mount LED lights and one Hunter 4th Gen 3 watt low profile LED visor light.
You can also choose discount bundles that include a siren, siren speaker, license plate bracket and traffic advisor, such as our 3-watt 360 SUV/Truck Bundle.
You can take advantage of our simple and secure online ordering or, for a more personalized level of assistance, call to speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable associates.
LED Equipped stands behind every product we sell. We provide a 3-year warranty on all products. Contact us today to learn more about our LED police vehicle lights and related products.