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 Utilities that are setup as slicktops (we have several with lightbars).
Lighting/Warning Equipment Installed
SOS Pinnacle Interior Lightbar
SOS Ultra Light 8 head Exterior Warning Bar
Whelen M-6S to front
Whelen M-6S to rear
Whelen Vertex in rear lights
Whelen M-4S on side of push bumper
SOS Mirror Intersectors
SOS Surface Mount Intersectors
Whelen PAR-28 LEDs in fog lights
Whelen Cencom
CPI 200 Watt speaker
Setina Push Bumper
Setina Heavy-Duty Wrap Arounds
(3) Whelen ULF-44
Line Master Foot Switch
Interior Equipment Installed
Digital Ally 500+ In-Car Camera
Stalker RADAR
Jotto Desk Console
Setina Gun Locks
Pro-Gard Trasport Seat with Cargo Partition
Misc
Blue Seas Fuse Block
75 Amp Relay (Warning Master)
(2) 30 Amp Relay
120 Amp Marine Circuit Breaker (supplies all installed equipment)
On/On Switch (for spotlight function)
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. (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 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 alterating as they are tied to the colored modules by design.
Originally, the front grill lights fire in an “X” pattern at 120 fpm in a simple, single flash pattern. When doing some road side testing, we accidentally discovered a more effective setup. We found that when you flashed two lights of the same color together you get an optical illusion of a bigger footprint of light. We also found that flashing all of the lights together generated a lot of “punch” to the front. We ended up using a 120 fpm pattern but it alternates flashing the reds and blues in an alternating and then simultaneous fashion.
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 SOS interior lightbars do not have the flexibility of their external lightbars. If you look at our Charger installs, we effectively have three different modes of operation. With the interiors, you only have two modes. We tried flashing the takedowns on an external flasher but the response of the takedowns was too slow for this to work well. There is no ready way to flash the takedowns and have them stop flashing. The other issue is that the tint on the Ford Pursuit Interceptors is fairly dark. The output of the internal bar is reduced by having to fight this tint and the drop in output is fairly significant. When combined with the lack of a headlight flasher, I had less concerns with the takedowns flashing while parked. I have similar gripes about the SOS Ultalight bar. The warning pattern is the most sedate that I can find. I would love to have the entire bar flash at 75 fpm in a simple single flash.
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.
Install Notes
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.
Living With the Utility
I have been driving Ford Crown Vics as a patrol vehicle since 1997. Leaving the Crown Vic was a mixed blessings. The Utility is a better vehicle overall than the Crown Vic but it’s internal capacity is not as useful. To this end, I had to come up with some tweaks to help with storage.
For instance, in the factory configuration, the arm rest blocks a useful storage area that could be useful. I cut the arm rest and added a heavy duty hinge to make the area accessible.
The rear cargo area presented some challenges as well. I wanted a way to keep critical equipment readily accessible while keeping everything else organized. My solution was this section of plywood and 2x4’s. It is mounted with four bolts and wing nuts and is removed very quickly and easily.
We mounted the radio, Cencom, and other equipment on the back of the rear cargo partition. This created the need to protect that equipment. There are a some nice alternatives from some manufacturers but we didn’t have the money for that. Our solution is a section of plywood, hinged at the bottom. It may not be elegant but it works great.
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 Utilities that are setup as slicktops (we have several with lightbars).
Lighting/Warning Equipment Installed
SOS Pinnacle Interior Lightbar
SOS Ultra Light 8 head Exterior Warning Bar
Whelen M-6S to front
Whelen M-6S to rear
Whelen Vertex in rear lights
Whelen M-4S on side of push bumper
SOS Mirror Intersectors
SOS Surface Mount Intersectors
Whelen PAR-28 LEDs in fog lights
Whelen Cencom
CPI 200 Watt speaker
Setina Push Bumper
Setina Heavy-Duty Wrap Arounds
(3) Whelen ULF-44
Line Master Foot Switch
Interior Equipment Installed
Digital Ally 500+ In-Car Camera
Stalker RADAR
Jotto Desk Console
Setina Gun Locks
Pro-Gard Trasport Seat with Cargo Partition
Misc
Blue Seas Fuse Block
75 Amp Relay (Warning Master)
(2) 30 Amp Relay
120 Amp Marine Circuit Breaker (supplies all installed equipment)
On/On Switch (for spotlight function)
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. (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 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 alterating as they are tied to the colored modules by design.
Originally, the front grill lights fire in an “X” pattern at 120 fpm in a simple, single flash pattern. When doing some road side testing, we accidentally discovered a more effective setup. We found that when you flashed two lights of the same color together you get an optical illusion of a bigger footprint of light. We also found that flashing all of the lights together generated a lot of “punch” to the front. We ended up using a 120 fpm pattern but it alternates flashing the reds and blues in an alternating and then simultaneous fashion.
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 SOS interior lightbars do not have the flexibility of their external lightbars. If you look at our Charger installs, we effectively have three different modes of operation. With the interiors, you only have two modes. We tried flashing the takedowns on an external flasher but the response of the takedowns was too slow for this to work well. There is no ready way to flash the takedowns and have them stop flashing. The other issue is that the tint on the Ford Pursuit Interceptors is fairly dark. The output of the internal bar is reduced by having to fight this tint and the drop in output is fairly significant. When combined with the lack of a headlight flasher, I had less concerns with the takedowns flashing while parked. I have similar gripes about the SOS Ultalight bar. The warning pattern is the most sedate that I can find. I would love to have the entire bar flash at 75 fpm in a simple single flash.
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.
Install Notes
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.
Living With the Utility
I have been driving Ford Crown Vics as a patrol vehicle since 1997. Leaving the Crown Vic was a mixed blessings. The Utility is a better vehicle overall than the Crown Vic but it’s internal capacity is not as useful. To this end, I had to come up with some tweaks to help with storage.
For instance, in the factory configuration, the arm rest blocks a useful storage area that could be useful. I cut the arm rest and added a heavy duty hinge to make the area accessible.
The rear cargo area presented some challenges as well. I wanted a way to keep critical equipment readily accessible while keeping everything else organized. My solution was this section of plywood and 2x4’s. It is mounted with four bolts and wing nuts and is removed very quickly and easily.
We mounted the radio, Cencom, and other equipment on the back of the rear cargo partition. This created the need to protect that equipment. There are a some nice alternatives from some manufacturers but we didn’t have the money for that. Our solution is a section of plywood, hinged at the bottom. It may not be elegant but it works great.
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