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Size15s said:
SureFire's market is Special Forces. Shotguns and MP5's of SWAT more often then not have SureFire WeaponLights.
The LEO market is not SureFire target since SureFire's tools require training to be most effective and LEO don't have the time or resources to train like Special Forces do.
Al
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I beg to differ Al. The law enforcement community is a huge part of the SureFire market. In fact, look back to the original foundations of the Laser Products Company before its DBA name was changed to SureFire. After the shootout with the Symbionese Liberation Army in South Central Los Angeles in 1974, my department's SWAT team started to look much closer at its equipment, particularly firearms with light mounted equipment. The creation of Special Weapons And Tactics, by the way, can be credited to then LAPD Chief of Police, Daryl F. Gates (retired), and senior patrol officers such as Ron McCarthy (retired).
It wasn't until just prior to the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles that the weaponlight for the Colt 1911 .45 cal semi-automatic became a mainstay for LAPD SWAT -- a result of a collaboration with LAPD SWAT and Dr. John Matthews (Laser Products founder). The product became known as the Model 610R Weaponlight.
With over 8,600 officers at the time, the LAPD enjoyed a high status in the law enforcement community with its ongoing training and resources with regards to weaponlights and light fighting techniques. Many, many other California law enforcement agencies followed in this endeavor, citing the numerous advantages gained in target identification, room clearing sweeps, light diffusion tactics, and added a new dimension to lethal force and shoot - don't shoot scenarios. Today's law enforcement K-9 officer is a key embodiment of the needs for a weaponlight platform throughout the entire LE community, and not just SWAT units. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are also large agencies that have long since associated themselves with the standard use of SureFire lights for tactical engagements, from the street copper to Special Enforcement Bureau, as well as the FBI's mobile SWAT unit.
To say that law enforcement does not have the time or resources to train as Special Operations units is a gross understatement. In particular, the amount of training that SWAT and SEB go through is at par, if not more, than what a military Special Forces operative goes through. Tactical precision shooting in an urban environment is one of the most difficult and challenging prospect for any operator. The skill, strength, and experience of these law enforcement operators can barely be challenged by some in the Special Operations community. There's a reason why the U.S. military asked members of the LAPD SWAT training cadre to participate as instructors in specialized training with the U.S. 1st SFOD Anti-terrorism unit. In addition, I can guarantee you that the LAPD and SEB SWAT units are not on the grounds of the Marine's Camp Pendleton for sightseeing.
Granted, the U.S. military has become a high demand market now more than ever with the growing structure of the Special Operations community throughout the four branches of the military. Nonetheless, I highly doubt the law enforcement market for SureFire has grown smaller than from its original days. It should have grown proportionately throughout the past decade and a half.
-Jim
