Streamlight TLR-1 saved a life last night

[ampdude]

I know there are differing opinions of weapon mounted lights, but I am a huge advocate of them and last night it was worth it's weight in gold. Here's the story in a nutshell:

Call came out of a subject with a knife who had just pulled it on the caller (victim) and ran north from the area. I came into the area and located the suspect. I exited my patrol car, and approached with my duty weapon at the low ready. Suspect starts screaming at me at about 25 yards away, raises his right hand over his head, and charges at me screaming "Do it, *expletive*!" I can see he has something in his right hand as I immediately raise my weapon. I turn on my weapon mounted light and take a couple of steps back as he closes within about 15 yards. When I turn on the light, the suspect stops just long enough for me to see that what he is holding is a black pencil with metallic writing on it. I used a quick burst of OC spray and he started running south. After a brief foot pursuit, I tackled him like an NFL lineman and the incident was over.

Other LEO's might read this and raise various questions. Based on the call, his actions, his distance, demeanor, language, etc - a different officer may have fired and been completely justified. I chose not to, and in the end it worked out just fine.

In this instance, my weapon mounted light saved the suspect's life. He reacted to the light by stopping, and in doing so it enabled me to identify what the object was in his hand. Turns out he is a psych patient off his meds who we were able to petition into the psych ward rather than the morgue.

Ironically, the pencil came from our police department and the metallic writing had our department name on it.

Seems to be just a matter of time with those types. Either they end up dead anyways, or worse, eventually end up killing others. Weapon mounted lights can be very useful from a tactical standpoint, but on the other hand, sometimes throw the balance of the firearm off. Do you carry the gun around with the light on it all day, or do you just attach it for night shifts? I prefer to do without them on pistols, but carbines are a little different story.

 

[Capt. Nemo]

Thanks for all of the kind words. I'm a little taken back quite honestly. There are probably hundreds of these situations that unfold on a daily basis from departments all over the US that will never make the news. One thing is for certain, "Officer shoots suspect with pencil" is one headline that would have made the news - and I wanted no part of that. I have been a firsthand witness to suicide by cop, and it is disheartening for both the officers and family of the deceased. One can only hope that the psyche evaluators do what is responsible for society and the individual, and that the individual has a family that can support them by ensuring they stay on their meds. I could go on and on, but I'll leave it at that since this is a forum about flashlights.

My TLR-1 is mounted to my Glock 21 on a permanent basis (except for cleaning, obviously) when working normal uniformed duty. I'll take it off in a plainclothes assignment, but I haven't had to work plainclothes at night ( and don't normally work in that capacity), so it hasn't been an issue. The added weight to the front of the gun reduces the recoil *slightly*, even more so than the compensated version - so I look at it as an added bonus. I have at least 10,000 rounds through the gun with the light mounted without any problems with either. My carbine has a permanently mounted Maelstrom G5, I carry a HDS 170T in my cargo pocket, a Malkoff MD2 in my vest, and a Gladius with Creemator upgrade on my belt. The Gladius is my go to light, but even though it's brighter than my HDS, I'm finding I'm grabbing my HDS more and more because of the quality and color of the beam. The Gladius has horrific rings that are starting to drive me crazy for up close work. My Malkoff is strictly a backup.

Cheers!

 

[speedsix]

Thanks for sharing. It is great to hear real life accounts of some of the tools we own. I have a Surefire on my G17 and I am with you on the benefits of them. I have never had to use it for anything more than the noise in the night that wakes the dogs up but it is good to know that should I need it, it could serve a function of temporally stopping someone in there tracks to give me that spilt second to decide what there intent is.

Also, if all cops were like you, I think the general negative opinion the public has of cops would be changed. My best friend is a cop and your story reminds me of him in a lot of ways. He has such a deep level of understanding and empathy and actually tries to help people and not just push them around. He can and will bust a head if need be and that is what is so shocking to me about the dichotomy of his personality. He can be much more violent than me but also much more gentile and understanding. I think it would burn me out having to go through that range of emotions everyday.

 

[TwitchALot]

Great story! Thanks for sharing!

 

[jerrysimons]

Is it true that most cops who do not like weapon mounted lights do so based upon the philosophy that a gunman will shoot at the light in the dark, which, if mounted on the pistol, is positioned at the officer's center mass? Instead they opt for a handheld light while holding the light out away from their body with the gun in the other hand. If true this seems like a cumbersome tactic to me. I would prefer the speed and simplicity of a weapon mounted light. Not to mention the increased control of using both hands on the gun.