Tips on choosing the correct Police Bike Lights for your Bicycle Patrol Needs

There are many options available when equipping yourbattery that fits in one of the water bottle cages on
bicycle with lights for Police, Security, and EMS uses.your police bike. This system has been specifically
The most important thing to take into consideration is -designed for Police use and provides a tremendous
how, where, and when are the bikes going to beamount of light with a variety of light settings.
ridden. This will help you decide on some of theThe Alerte Trailblazer II is another system that has
following. 1.) Will I be riding at night in low-light situations,been designed specifically for police bike, security and
or will I be riding in an area with sufficient overheadEMS use. It is an LED system that has two white
lighting? 2.) Will the bicycle be used at night frequently,beams in the front for illuminating the path ahead. On
and for long periods at a time? 3.) Do I need lights toeach side of the central white light is a pursuit color.
see, or do I need lights that let me be seen andYou have a choice of pursuit colors and in the rear of
identified as a law enforcement, security, or safetythe bike is an amber taillight for safety, as well as
person. 4.) Do I need to be heard as well as seen? 5.)pursuit lights. The Trailblazer light system also includes
Do I need lights in the front only, or also in the rear ofa siren that is available with a hi-lo or wail siren. Power
my bike for safety purposes?is provided by a battery that fits in the water bottle
If you are going to be riding in a low-light situation,holder.
where you need to illuminate your path, you will wantIf you do not need a complete light system, or just
to equip your bike with a quality headlight. In choosingneed pursuit type lights, we recommend the Lightman
your light system, also consider the time that you areDual Strobe Light system. The pursuit lights are very
going to be riding at night. A light system with abright Xeon strobes that quickly mount to your
rechargeable battery, such as the Niterider Digitalhandlebars. A remote switch allows you to turn them
Patrol, or the Alerte Trailblazer II, may cost moreon and they are viewable from a long distance.
money upfront, but do not forget to consider the costIf you are not doing a great deal of night riding, the dual
of replacement batteries for light systems that do notstrobes are an excellent choice because they will
use chargeable battery units. The light systems withidentify you as a police officer once you turn them on.
the rechargeable packs also provide more power andA taillight is also available for safety purposes. We
light than the lower priced systems that operate onhighly recommend a taillight to make you visible to
regular disposable batteries.traffic.
If you want to be identified as an officer, there are aThe dual strobe lights can also be used in conjunction
variety of options for lens colors that will identify youwith a regular headlight, be it a rechargeable light such
while on a bicycle. The Niterider Digital Patrol has a builtas the Niterider Trailrat II, or a commuter LED headlight
in wig-wag mode that will flash one beam and then thesuch as the Blackburn Quadrant Headlight/Taillight
other. Available for this system is a flip lens that youcombo.
can quickly flip down when riding and it will flash redAs you can see, there are a number of options
blue with the lens down - identifying you as a policeavailable to choose from. What is most important is for
officer on a bike. With this system, you can also add athe lights to fulfill your needs in a practical and safe
taillight that is visible in the daylight, as well as a siren.way.
The entire system operates on the rechargeable