What Is the Best Police Siren?

When your police force is responding to an emergency, you want to make sure that for their safety and for the safety of others, that everyone can hear the police siren and respond accordingly. LED Equipped sells many types of police sirens — but which is the best police siren for your purposes?

Police Siren Power

One of the most important features of a police siren is how many watts it is. The greater the wattage, the louder the siren. All the police sirens LED Equipped sells are 100 or 200 watts. These are the most common, used by police forces across the country.

To help you make your decision about what would be best for your police force, find out the wattage of the sirens you are currently using and whether your police force seems satisfied with them.

A small police force working out in the country may select a 100-watt police siren while those in big cities may want to go with 200 to be heard over the noise of traffic and other ambient sounds of the city.

On the other hand, it can be handy in a small town to be able to hear the sound of a police siren from far away. First responders are not always nearby out in the country, and those in need of help can get panicky while they wait. Being able to hear the sirens from far away is comforting. Many times, when callers are on the phone with a 911 operator, the operator directs them to stay on the line until help arrives and asks them if they can hear sirens yet. In these cases, louder sirens are helpful.

However, your vehicles must be set up to handle a 200-watt siren. Check with your police force’s installation team or mechanic to make sure your vehicles’ speakers are compatible with a 200-watt siren.

If you are upgrading from 100-watt sirens to 200-watt sirens and you have tiny compact speakers in your vehicles, you may notice little difference. Some are simply incompatible. If citizens are truly having a hard time hearing your 100-watt sirens, it might be time to consider a speaker upgrade as well, if this is in the budget.

Today, so many drivers have advanced sound systems in their cars that it can be harder to hear sirens over the music playing in the vehicle. Further, although it is illegal to do so, many drivers can be seen wearing headphones while driving. Drivers need to be able to hear sirens over the sound of whatever playlist they are listening to. You shouldn’t have to worry about this, but unfortunately, it’s a reality.

Police Siren Features

Beyond how much power a police siren has, you’ll want to consider the extra features it offers you. Most police sirens come with a selection standard tones. These may include:

• Wail: This is the long, repeating wailing sound that most people associate with an approaching police car. It’s often used on an open road such as a highway or a road with few cars on it that lets the police car speed past quickly.
• Yelp: The yelp is a quick, repeating whoop-whoop-whoop noise that is also widely recognized. Police officers often switch to this tone when they approach an area with heavier traffic or when they arrive at the scene of the incident.
• Phaser: The phaser sounds a bit like a rapid-fire laser gun. The high-pitched frequency is better able to cut through some types of noise that may otherwise prevent drivers and pedestrians from hearing the siren.
• Hi-Lo: This nee-nah sound is often associated with police cars in England. Police may cycle through this and other tones to change up the pattern to better get drivers’ attention.
• Horn: About 10 times louder than a regular car horn, the air horn noise is a serious blast of sound. A police officer will often use it to “wake up” drivers who have not pulled over.

These sirens allow police officers to easily switch from one tone to another — such as from wail to yelp when approaching an intersection — to better alert drivers to their presence. They also allow officers to blow their horn through the speakers, which makes it much louder and more recognizable. They can also use the siren as a PA system, which is handy when giving directions to crowds. Some of the deluxe-model sirens come with extra sounds such as sting.

However, although sirens are routinely referred to as “police sirens,” it’s important to remember that they are often used for other types of vehicles as well, such as ambulances and other first responders. These vehicle may require some siren tones but have no use for others. It’s good to become familiar with the tones and their corresponding names and which vehicles customarily use each so you know which one(s) you need.

Another feature you may want to consider when shopping for a police siren is whether it allows your officer to control the emergency LED light bar as well as the sound of the siren. Having this extra option can make it easier to clear traffic and alert drivers and pedestrians.

Some police sirens come with easy-to-use control panels that let officers cycle though sounds easier. Buttons that are backlit can be helpful as well, making it easier for officers to quickly choose the light or sound they want while responding to an emergency call.

Others have programmable memory boxes so officers can save sequences of sounds and lights that they use frequently.

Police Sirens at LED Equipped

Here at LED Equipped, we sell 11 kinds of police sirens, plus an intersection clearing system. We sell some systems in a bundle with amplifiers and faceplates, which can save you money.

Speakers and PA systems are generally sold separately, and this is designed to save you money as well. You may need new sirens, but your speakers may still be adequate. You don’t want to have to buy new speakers if you don’t need them, so that part is optional.

All the parts for the amplifiers and speakers are corrosion-resistant, so once you make the investment, your police sirens will last for years.

Besides the best in police sirens, LED equipped also sells emergency lights for trucks, mini LED light bars, emergency LED light bars, LED warning lights, tow truck light bars, amber LED light bars and emergency vehicle lights.

We’re in the business of helping to keep the public safe, and one of the best ways to do that is to work to ensure that emergency vehicles — whether they are police cars, ambulances, fire trucks or tow trucks — are easily seen and heard on the roads.

Whether you’re in the medical field, law enforcement, security or you run a volunteer operation, our emergency lights and sirens can bring you the visibility you need. We also sell lights for construction work, utility trucks and tow trucks. Often times workers in these industries have to respond to situations and incidents at night. It’s important other drivers can see them, but it’s also important that they can properly see to do their jobs, and that’s why we include spotlights and floodlights in our selection.

We work hard to bring you the lights and sirens you need at a discount, because the only thing better than securing the best equipment for your police squad is being able to save money while you do it. We also offer warranties and free shipping on all our products.

If you need help selecting a product, our associates are happy to help. Call, chat or message us on Facebook. We’re here to help.