1. High Brightness
At Least 1000 Lumen Brightness is highly vital for someone who works in law enforcement, whether they are a police officer or not. You require a flashlight that, regardless of the circumstances, is capable of producing an adequate amount of light. In addition to this, you should equip yourself with a flashlight that is powerful enough to possibly blind or confuse prospective attackers as a kind of self-defense.
A flashlight designed for law enforcement should ideally have more than one thousand lumen. Although lumens lower than 1000 are not always a negative thing, I believe it is ideal to keep at or above 1000. The more powerful the flashlight, the greater the amount of visibility you will have in a given setting. When you are looking for anything or someone, a flashlight with a higher lumen output will illuminate a larger area.
This is also crucial because the more you are able to see of a scenario, the better you will be able to assess it and determine whether or not it poses a threat to you. With a more powerful flashlight, you will be able to determine whether or not a possible suspect is carrying a weapon on their person.
2. Extended battery life of more than 15 hours
When used for law enforcement purposes, a flashlight’s battery life is a quality that is often overlooked, despite the fact that its significance cannot be overstated. Your flashlight going out on you just as you need it the most is the very last thing you want to happen. When you’re in a potentially risky scenario, it can influence the likelihood of you surviving the or coming out of it unharmed. Therefore, a decent police flashlight will have an adequate battery life, which will guarantee that it has a considerable amount of runtime.
It might be difficult to determine what constitutes an acceptable runtime for a program. But taking into account modern flashlights, I would estimate that it would last for at least half an hour at its highest level and for up to 15 hours when it was set to its lowest setting. You won’t be using your flashlight nonstop, but you will be using it rather frequently, and the vast majority of the time you’ll be using it on one of the lower levels. Therefore, it is simple to slip into the practice of not charging it very frequently, which is OK provided that the device in question has a sufficient runtime, as I mentioned before.
Certain batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, which are quickly becoming the industry standard for flashlights, are better fitted for longer runtimes than other batteries. This is wonderful news since they have been able to double the output of flashlights while also significantly extending the amount of time they can remain operational.
3. A Material That Is Robust And Long-Lasting
You want your police flashlight to be strong and durable, much like the majority of the other instruments that a law enforcement officer takes with them. You need a flashlight that can resist being dropped several times and being struck multiple times. It is recommended that a metal, such as aluminum or titanium, be used for the construction of a police flashlight. These are exceptionally durable materials that are often utilized in the production of tactical flashlights.
Be sure to give its IP rating some thought as well. Because you have no way of knowing what the circumstances will be, it is in your best interest to be ready for everything. If your flashlight has an IPX rating of 5 or greater, then it will be at least somewhat protected against water when used on a wet day.
4. Capacity for Personal Defense and Dimensions
Now that we’ve established that size matters, the last thing you want to deal with is something that’s exceedingly cumbersome and laborious to transport. This restricts both you and your capabilities in a wide variety of different contexts. On the other hand, given that you want your police flashlight to be able to function as a weapon for self-defense as well, you do not want a flashlight that is particularly small. Therefore, you should select a flashlight that is of a respectable size, has the potential to serve as a striking weapon in an emergency, but won’t impede your movement or take up an excessive amount of room in your carryall.
Some flashlights feature bezels that are either raised or crenulated. Because of this, it seems as though the head of the flashlight is covered with spikes. This is beneficial because if the flashlight is used as a weapon for self-defense, it is able to do more damage than a standard flashlight, making it more dependable in a situation where it may be necessary to engage in violent conflict. Some flashlights, like the P20i, even feature tungsten points on the bezel, which gives it the capacity to readily break glass and boosts its overall robustness.
Conclusion
Remember that you need a light that is not just powerful but also has a long battery life when you are searching for a nice police flashlight. The size of the flashlight is important; although you don’t want anything too little to fit on your keychain, you also don’t want something too large. On top of that, you want it to be hardy, long-lasting, and, if necessary, it should be able to function as a weapon. There are a lot of tactical flashlights that come equipped with these characteristics, but there are also a lot of everyday carry flashlights that have the same capabilities and might be smaller.
First and foremost, there is no single flashlight that is suitable for all situations. Because the ideal flashlight for a police officer will be different for each individual officer, it is essential that you make use of this information to choose the model that is most suitable for you.