BACKGROUND
Every time I post pictures and videos of our units, I end up answering the same questions. In hopes of heading that off, let me start with this quick bit of info:
These vehicles are operated by U.S. Park Rangers who have full law enforcement authority in units of the National Park System and for crimes committed in that system in which the criminal leaves. U.S. Park Rangers attend the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (the same place every Federal LEO goes except for FBI and DEA) for 17 weeks.
The job is not Ranger Smith chasing Yogi over some picnic baskets. While they haven’t run the numbers lately, U.S. Park Rangers have the dubious honor of having the highest assault rate of any federal, state, or local agency. We chase the same thugs that every other cop does; we just do it in better scenery. The “job” varies depends on where you work. If you work in Arizona, you chase smugglers and illegals. In the more remote parks, Rangers provide LE, EMS, Fire, and SAR services. If there’s a big body of water, the Rangers will be the ones doing the body recoveries. The NPS has been dealing with the same LE problems and have the same gear that most agencies have for years – for instance, I’ve carried a patrol rifle since 1997.
My particular duty station is a historic two-lane road that travels through three states. 80% of what we do is traditional highway patrol work – run RADAR, arrest DUI’s, investigate accidents, etc. 10% is game warden work like poaching patrols and running animal decoys. 10% is investigatory like follow-up on cases, plain clothes details, fugitive work, etc. My particular district is 108 miles long and is crossed by three major four-lane highways. We end up on these roads on a regular basis, chasing folks who started on us and exited on to those roads. We have a very high volume of traffic associated with commuters coming into the third largest city in the state and our road is in the middle of town and the unofficial bypass. IIRC, our district with 6 patrol guys (one committed to a lot of office duties) generated ~120 arrests to give you some idea of the work volume.
THE LIGHTING INFO
I’ve been building cars for work and more recently, specifying the setup of new cars for about 11 years. I’ve been driving emergency vehicles (police, fire and EMS) since 1986 I’ve also got a nerd streak and have read everything I can about effective lighting from the NHTSA material to the FHP study. I’ve developed some opinions about what works and what doesn’t work based particularly on parking vehicles and evaluating them from a distance.
Based on all of this I use these guidelines when setting up vehicles:
1) Front lights send a different message from rear lights
2) When the vehicle is moving a different message needs to be sent
3) Lights should define width or “footprint” of the vehicle
4) Slower flash patterns work better for stationary vehicles
5) Light heads should be on three levels and you don’t need a lot (no more than 4)
6) No flashing white lights when parked
7) Steady burns work
8) Flashing lights need some space between them to be most effective.
9) There is no substitute for square inches – bigger is better.
10) Lots of white light to the front for traffic stops.
This last year, the vast majority of our fleet was due for replacement and we were not going to be getting any more Crown Vics. This meant that we were going to be spending a lot of money (~106k) buying new gear (and recycling what we could) and getting it installed. We tried to get Chevy Caprices but were denied by GSA. We ended up with a mix of Dodge Chargers and Ford Interceptor Utilities. This is what we’re doing for the Chargers.
Lighting/Warning Equipment Installed
SOS Pinnacle Lightbar
SOS Rear Deck Traffic Advisor
Whelen M-6S to front
Whelen M-4S on side of push bumper
Whelen Mirror Beams
Whelen PAR-28 LEDs in fog lights
Whelen Cencom
CPI 200 Watt speaker
Setina Push Bumper
Setina Heavy-Duty Wrap Arounds
(2) Whelen ULF-44
Line Master Foot Switch
Interior Equipment Installed
Digital Ally 500+ In-Car Camera
Stalker RADAR
Jotto Desk Console
Setina Gun Locks
Laguna Transport Seat with seat belts
Setina Prisoner Partition
Misc
EV Modules Dodge Charger Interface
Blue Seas Fuse Block
75 Amp Relay (Warning Master)
(2) 30 Amp Relay
120 Amp Marine Circuit Breaker (supplies all installed equipment)
40 Amp Maxi-Fuse and Holder (for lightbar)
On/On Switch (for spotlight function)
Havis Equipment Drop Downs in trunk
Front View:
Side View:
Interior Shots:
(Toggle switch controls the function of the passenger's side spot light - normal or with takedowns)
Trunk Shots:
The Charger is cursed with a small trunk. Last year we had two Charger that were setup with a full-width trunk tray. That left no space for equipment and we vowed not to repeat the same mistake. Our solution was to use the trunk equipment dropdowns from Havis. They mount in a space where not much else fits and provide a platform for the radio and warning equipment. The driver’s side has the Motorola radio and the passenger side has the Cencom and other wiring for the lights. With a good installer, it’s pretty amazing what you can cram onto these. The net result is that you have a lot of trunk space in a Charger.
(The Cencom has 12 outlets so we installed a 12 position bus bar. Each position on the bus bar corresponds to an outlet on the Cencom)
[Broken External Image]:http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/ajp3jeh/2012 Vehicles/Charger/dropdown_drivMedium.jpg
(Latch broken in shipping, new ones on order)
Partially Blocked:
Since we spend most of our time on a two-lane road, oncoming traffic rarely sees the full front of the vehicle. Whether parked on a traffic stop or peeking around, trying to pass, the two-lane nature of our road makes lighting on the edge more important for us. A lot of folks have scoffed at warning lights in the fog lamp assemblies but it is right on the edge of the vehicle. This is all that an oncoming vehicle will likely see.
DUI Mode:
Since most of our stops are on a two-lane road, safely conducting field sobriety tests can be challenging. We really can’t turn off all of the front lights as we wouldn’t be warning oncoming traffic of our presence (which is generally partially blocking a lane). The solution is what we call DUI mode. When this is activated, the only front flashing lights are the mirror beams at 75fpm. The front of the lightbar is activated but is not flashing. One module of each color is on at full power like our normal steady burn lights. The other colored modules are running in cruise light mode. This makes very big and visible footprint of colored light but one that won’t interfere with tests. It isn’t impressive in this still photo but it works great at night. (For rear coverage, the full lightbar, traffic advisor, and traffic backer are running)
Flash Patterns
The lights automatically change patterns when the vehicle goes into park. This is accomplished by wiring all of the white lights and pattern overrides onto one outlet of the Cencom and “pausing” that outlet based on a park kill input. The operator can push one button and restore the lights to the more urgent mode but that is rarely necessary.
In-Motion Flash Patterns:
When in motion, the entire side of the lightbar flashes. This generates a very large “footprint” of light. The sides of the lightbar alternate at 115fpm and the color change helps catch attention without becoming a purple blob. The takedowns are flashing together to also generate a large footprint. They are flashing at 200+ fpm which is not what I would have picked. However, this is the only way that the lights will flash together. If they just alternate, you end up with a dancing white dot in the center of the bar. (This is my only real gripe with the SOS Pinnacle) The front grill lights fire in an “X” pattern at 120 fpm in a simple, single flash pattern. This is fast enough to imply urgency but not so fast that the lights don’t appear to just flicker. The mirror beams also flash 120fpm simultaneously. The mirror beams seem to work better flashing together as they really define the entire width of the vehicle.
Stationary Flash Patterns
When the vehicle goes into park, the light bar changes character entirely. A red and a blue module both steady burn on the front and rear of the bar. Steady burn helps show that the vehicle is stationary and gives the eye something to track, helping passing motorist know where the vehicle is in order to avoid it. The remaining colored modules flash together at 75 fpm. This seems to be slow enough to avoid a big purple blob while generating a “footprint” that is the entire width of the vehicle. The whole bar “popping” on and off is very visible over long distances. The grill lights all slow to 75 fpm and flash together. The Mirror Beams also slow to 75 fpm and continue to flash together. When stationary, the grill lights and Mirror Beams are (supposed to be) synched so when they flash they really show the outline of the vehicle.
Miscellaneous Comments
I tried really hard to make the vehicle as user friendly as possible. Things like programming the Cencom to cutoff everything when the pursuit switch is turned off so you’re not manually turning off the takedowns or traffic advisor. I also put the passenger side spotlight on the takedown button. This is great when you’re working solo as it dumps light into the vehicle’s passenger compartment and creates the illusion that two officers are on-scene. This feature is switchable, allowing the spotlight to be used normally if so desired.
The siren can be controlled by a footswitch, leaving hands free for driving and the radio. The speaker for the mobile radio is mounted up and by the driver’s head so it can always be heard. All of the primary lighting modes are on the pursuit switch. (1-front only, 2-rear only, 3-front and rear). 95% of typical light/siren use can be done with the pursuit switch and foot switch.
I waffled about using bigger lightheads on the pushbumper. We’ve traditionally run M-4’s to the front and LINZ-6’s on the side. The cost to upgrade to M-6’s and M-4’s was minimal and was worthwhile. The larger footprint really is noticeable. At a distance the M-6’s are big enough to be visible at the same distance as the light bar, something that most secondary lighting can’t do.
(I am proud to announce that there are seven 12 volt power points in the console. Two by the cupholders, two on the passenger side of the console, and 3 inside the console for things like GPS's that will be effectively hard wired)
Gripes
I’m pretty happy with the setup with a few irritations. First and foremost, the Whelen Mirror Beams with Ion heads suck. They have a small, very specific hot spot and offer practically nothing outside of that sweet spot. I ended up having to put both alley lights on one switch. I’d prefer to have the respective sides on their own switches but I maxed out the number of outlets on the Cencom. Speaking of outlets, a lot of folks have complained about the foot switch. If the Cencom had more outlets, I would probably change the tones through the horn ring but can’t do it.
I learned the hard way that the M-series lightheads don’t like low power from a ULF. We had to order the “dumb” versions of the M-6’s and M-4’s in order to make them compatible with the ULF. The whole project was delayed by months waiting for Whelen to get around to manufacturing the dumb versions AND we had to pay more for the lights with less features.
As mentioned above, I wish that SOS would offer more slow patterns on their products. I’d love it if the takedowns flashed together at 120 fpm and if the traffic advisor had a nice slow, single flash option.
The Havis Drop Downs are good idea but they are not meant for heavy loads. One of our other Chargers has two radios installed on the dropdown. While the installer could make them both fit (impressively) the mount would self destruct if you allowed it to swing all the way down. The hinge system seems kinda weak for any serious weight.
Final Notes
The car in the photos is just back from the installer and hasn’t been striped yet, it will be a marked unit by next week. The actual work was done by Citizen’s Page in Corinth, MS. They did a great job with this install and other work they’ve done for us. They really loved the EV Modules interface - definitely good equipment. I've never been able to dim the backlighting on a Cencom - now we do.
(Video to follow)
Every time I post pictures and videos of our units, I end up answering the same questions. In hopes of heading that off, let me start with this quick bit of info:
These vehicles are operated by U.S. Park Rangers who have full law enforcement authority in units of the National Park System and for crimes committed in that system in which the criminal leaves. U.S. Park Rangers attend the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (the same place every Federal LEO goes except for FBI and DEA) for 17 weeks.
The job is not Ranger Smith chasing Yogi over some picnic baskets. While they haven’t run the numbers lately, U.S. Park Rangers have the dubious honor of having the highest assault rate of any federal, state, or local agency. We chase the same thugs that every other cop does; we just do it in better scenery. The “job” varies depends on where you work. If you work in Arizona, you chase smugglers and illegals. In the more remote parks, Rangers provide LE, EMS, Fire, and SAR services. If there’s a big body of water, the Rangers will be the ones doing the body recoveries. The NPS has been dealing with the same LE problems and have the same gear that most agencies have for years – for instance, I’ve carried a patrol rifle since 1997.
My particular duty station is a historic two-lane road that travels through three states. 80% of what we do is traditional highway patrol work – run RADAR, arrest DUI’s, investigate accidents, etc. 10% is game warden work like poaching patrols and running animal decoys. 10% is investigatory like follow-up on cases, plain clothes details, fugitive work, etc. My particular district is 108 miles long and is crossed by three major four-lane highways. We end up on these roads on a regular basis, chasing folks who started on us and exited on to those roads. We have a very high volume of traffic associated with commuters coming into the third largest city in the state and our road is in the middle of town and the unofficial bypass. IIRC, our district with 6 patrol guys (one committed to a lot of office duties) generated ~120 arrests to give you some idea of the work volume.
THE LIGHTING INFO
I’ve been building cars for work and more recently, specifying the setup of new cars for about 11 years. I’ve been driving emergency vehicles (police, fire and EMS) since 1986 I’ve also got a nerd streak and have read everything I can about effective lighting from the NHTSA material to the FHP study. I’ve developed some opinions about what works and what doesn’t work based particularly on parking vehicles and evaluating them from a distance.
Based on all of this I use these guidelines when setting up vehicles:
1) Front lights send a different message from rear lights
2) When the vehicle is moving a different message needs to be sent
3) Lights should define width or “footprint” of the vehicle
4) Slower flash patterns work better for stationary vehicles
5) Light heads should be on three levels and you don’t need a lot (no more than 4)
6) No flashing white lights when parked
7) Steady burns work
8) Flashing lights need some space between them to be most effective.
9) There is no substitute for square inches – bigger is better.
10) Lots of white light to the front for traffic stops.
This last year, the vast majority of our fleet was due for replacement and we were not going to be getting any more Crown Vics. This meant that we were going to be spending a lot of money (~106k) buying new gear (and recycling what we could) and getting it installed. We tried to get Chevy Caprices but were denied by GSA. We ended up with a mix of Dodge Chargers and Ford Interceptor Utilities. This is what we’re doing for the Chargers.
Lighting/Warning Equipment Installed
SOS Pinnacle Lightbar
SOS Rear Deck Traffic Advisor
Whelen M-6S to front
Whelen M-4S on side of push bumper
Whelen Mirror Beams
Whelen PAR-28 LEDs in fog lights
Whelen Cencom
CPI 200 Watt speaker
Setina Push Bumper
Setina Heavy-Duty Wrap Arounds
(2) Whelen ULF-44
Line Master Foot Switch
Interior Equipment Installed
Digital Ally 500+ In-Car Camera
Stalker RADAR
Jotto Desk Console
Setina Gun Locks
Laguna Transport Seat with seat belts
Setina Prisoner Partition
Misc
EV Modules Dodge Charger Interface
Blue Seas Fuse Block
75 Amp Relay (Warning Master)
(2) 30 Amp Relay
120 Amp Marine Circuit Breaker (supplies all installed equipment)
40 Amp Maxi-Fuse and Holder (for lightbar)
On/On Switch (for spotlight function)
Havis Equipment Drop Downs in trunk
Front View:
Side View:
Interior Shots:
(Toggle switch controls the function of the passenger's side spot light - normal or with takedowns)
Trunk Shots:
The Charger is cursed with a small trunk. Last year we had two Charger that were setup with a full-width trunk tray. That left no space for equipment and we vowed not to repeat the same mistake. Our solution was to use the trunk equipment dropdowns from Havis. They mount in a space where not much else fits and provide a platform for the radio and warning equipment. The driver’s side has the Motorola radio and the passenger side has the Cencom and other wiring for the lights. With a good installer, it’s pretty amazing what you can cram onto these. The net result is that you have a lot of trunk space in a Charger.
(The Cencom has 12 outlets so we installed a 12 position bus bar. Each position on the bus bar corresponds to an outlet on the Cencom)
[Broken External Image]:http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/ajp3jeh/2012 Vehicles/Charger/dropdown_drivMedium.jpg
(Latch broken in shipping, new ones on order)
Partially Blocked:
Since we spend most of our time on a two-lane road, oncoming traffic rarely sees the full front of the vehicle. Whether parked on a traffic stop or peeking around, trying to pass, the two-lane nature of our road makes lighting on the edge more important for us. A lot of folks have scoffed at warning lights in the fog lamp assemblies but it is right on the edge of the vehicle. This is all that an oncoming vehicle will likely see.
DUI Mode:
Since most of our stops are on a two-lane road, safely conducting field sobriety tests can be challenging. We really can’t turn off all of the front lights as we wouldn’t be warning oncoming traffic of our presence (which is generally partially blocking a lane). The solution is what we call DUI mode. When this is activated, the only front flashing lights are the mirror beams at 75fpm. The front of the lightbar is activated but is not flashing. One module of each color is on at full power like our normal steady burn lights. The other colored modules are running in cruise light mode. This makes very big and visible footprint of colored light but one that won’t interfere with tests. It isn’t impressive in this still photo but it works great at night. (For rear coverage, the full lightbar, traffic advisor, and traffic backer are running)
Flash Patterns
The lights automatically change patterns when the vehicle goes into park. This is accomplished by wiring all of the white lights and pattern overrides onto one outlet of the Cencom and “pausing” that outlet based on a park kill input. The operator can push one button and restore the lights to the more urgent mode but that is rarely necessary.
In-Motion Flash Patterns:
When in motion, the entire side of the lightbar flashes. This generates a very large “footprint” of light. The sides of the lightbar alternate at 115fpm and the color change helps catch attention without becoming a purple blob. The takedowns are flashing together to also generate a large footprint. They are flashing at 200+ fpm which is not what I would have picked. However, this is the only way that the lights will flash together. If they just alternate, you end up with a dancing white dot in the center of the bar. (This is my only real gripe with the SOS Pinnacle) The front grill lights fire in an “X” pattern at 120 fpm in a simple, single flash pattern. This is fast enough to imply urgency but not so fast that the lights don’t appear to just flicker. The mirror beams also flash 120fpm simultaneously. The mirror beams seem to work better flashing together as they really define the entire width of the vehicle.
Stationary Flash Patterns
When the vehicle goes into park, the light bar changes character entirely. A red and a blue module both steady burn on the front and rear of the bar. Steady burn helps show that the vehicle is stationary and gives the eye something to track, helping passing motorist know where the vehicle is in order to avoid it. The remaining colored modules flash together at 75 fpm. This seems to be slow enough to avoid a big purple blob while generating a “footprint” that is the entire width of the vehicle. The whole bar “popping” on and off is very visible over long distances. The grill lights all slow to 75 fpm and flash together. The Mirror Beams also slow to 75 fpm and continue to flash together. When stationary, the grill lights and Mirror Beams are (supposed to be) synched so when they flash they really show the outline of the vehicle.
Miscellaneous Comments
I tried really hard to make the vehicle as user friendly as possible. Things like programming the Cencom to cutoff everything when the pursuit switch is turned off so you’re not manually turning off the takedowns or traffic advisor. I also put the passenger side spotlight on the takedown button. This is great when you’re working solo as it dumps light into the vehicle’s passenger compartment and creates the illusion that two officers are on-scene. This feature is switchable, allowing the spotlight to be used normally if so desired.
The siren can be controlled by a footswitch, leaving hands free for driving and the radio. The speaker for the mobile radio is mounted up and by the driver’s head so it can always be heard. All of the primary lighting modes are on the pursuit switch. (1-front only, 2-rear only, 3-front and rear). 95% of typical light/siren use can be done with the pursuit switch and foot switch.
I waffled about using bigger lightheads on the pushbumper. We’ve traditionally run M-4’s to the front and LINZ-6’s on the side. The cost to upgrade to M-6’s and M-4’s was minimal and was worthwhile. The larger footprint really is noticeable. At a distance the M-6’s are big enough to be visible at the same distance as the light bar, something that most secondary lighting can’t do.
(I am proud to announce that there are seven 12 volt power points in the console. Two by the cupholders, two on the passenger side of the console, and 3 inside the console for things like GPS's that will be effectively hard wired)
Gripes
I’m pretty happy with the setup with a few irritations. First and foremost, the Whelen Mirror Beams with Ion heads suck. They have a small, very specific hot spot and offer practically nothing outside of that sweet spot. I ended up having to put both alley lights on one switch. I’d prefer to have the respective sides on their own switches but I maxed out the number of outlets on the Cencom. Speaking of outlets, a lot of folks have complained about the foot switch. If the Cencom had more outlets, I would probably change the tones through the horn ring but can’t do it.
I learned the hard way that the M-series lightheads don’t like low power from a ULF. We had to order the “dumb” versions of the M-6’s and M-4’s in order to make them compatible with the ULF. The whole project was delayed by months waiting for Whelen to get around to manufacturing the dumb versions AND we had to pay more for the lights with less features.
As mentioned above, I wish that SOS would offer more slow patterns on their products. I’d love it if the takedowns flashed together at 120 fpm and if the traffic advisor had a nice slow, single flash option.
The Havis Drop Downs are good idea but they are not meant for heavy loads. One of our other Chargers has two radios installed on the dropdown. While the installer could make them both fit (impressively) the mount would self destruct if you allowed it to swing all the way down. The hinge system seems kinda weak for any serious weight.
Final Notes
The car in the photos is just back from the installer and hasn’t been striped yet, it will be a marked unit by next week. The actual work was done by Citizen’s Page in Corinth, MS. They did a great job with this install and other work they’ve done for us. They really loved the EV Modules interface - definitely good equipment. I've never been able to dim the backlighting on a Cencom - now we do.
(Video to follow)
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did we just become best friends?
