brightnorm
Flashaholic
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2001
- Messages
- 7,161
LEO\'s & Security Folks: any reactions to this?
Any comments on this? Especially in regards to the idea that a flashlight makes you into a vulnerable target, and that when the chips are down you don't use it anyway. Agree, disagree? Unfortunately I don't know the source.
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LESSON #13 The flashlightEverytime I watch COPS on TV I flinch. You see some cops running around holding their flashlights like a bunch of idiots. They all look like they are making a movie, were trained and swallowed the nonsense like robots and never questioned how it is done in the real world because what they learn "looks cool." That is the honest real life truth.We are concerned with cosmetics and trendy instead of staying alive. Officers and security guards wave the flashlight around like a magic wand that will somehow bless then with some un-seeable wisdom and information.
NOT!!!!Let's back up a little to the 1960's. When I got into law enforcement we had cheap easy to break chrome two cell flashlights. They served the purpose well but if you slammed a car door on them or they broke they were rather disposable. The company, "Kel-Lite" flashlight came about. A strong aluminum flashlight that took a real beating and the four-cell model made an ideal club if you needed it. That soon lead to a pile of legal actions but it started the concept that a flashlight was a "tactical tool." It was no longer a flashlight.It smashed windows, heads, and doors. It seemed to solve a lot of problems. Other manufacturers came on line and the flashlight was a fashion statement. " Mine is brighter and bigger than yours" was born. Not content with the device just giving us light, it became a complex "system." We had to have more than one and attached them to guns, recharged them and wrote books about how to use the simple flashlight.
Let's stop the nonsense.First of all, it is damned seldom an officer or civilian is walking in an area with out enough light to see. Even inside of buildings, I've watched guards or officers run around with their Hollywood flashlight moves and not bother to reach for a simple light switch. "The crooks will see me." They scream when you turn on the lights. Unless you are hunting for Stevie Wonder they will certainly see YOUR flashlight. If daylight is good, then lights are good. Simple logic unless you want to bore us with some wild way out "one time" or "what if" concept.
Years ago the FBI (the sometimes experts on such things) said you MUST hold the flashlight away from your body as far as you can because the thug will shoot AT the light. That wasn't good enough for the new breed that made the flashlight into a "tool." That was far too easy. They came up to the idea (with help from armchair gun writers with little or NO experience) that you should hold it in one hand and the gun in the other together, sometimes back of hand to back of hand. Man, that looks "cool."Nobody stopped it then and asked some common sense questions. Will a thug shoot at the light? I would think so if I was trying to avoid capture. It sure is a target of opportunity.Another fact they ignore is why would you give up ONE hand in the dark and claim you need TWO in the daylight? Also, having BOTH hands full most of the time at night isn't very smart. The flashlight becomes a serious liability. Also most shootings are at such close range, light is seldom an issue.What is amazing is the armchair types that make up flashlight "stances" named after them. How nice for promotion of books etc. Of course they can't tell you something simple, or you won't buy the book or video. It must be complex and require a lot of effort to make the money spent worth it. Also you sound very knowledgeable when you show someone else this well named knowledge.One of my favorites is how the flashlight beam will DAZZLE the suspect. Sure it will and the drugs, insanity and booze won't? Also, a thug won't stand still while you wave the flashlight around to find his moving face, and what the hell are you doing trying to shine a light on someone that needs a bullet?Even using the older FBI system of holding your flashlight extended from your body produces more than enough light to show you as a pretty good target. Light will reflect off walls, ceilings, and even bushes to light you up pretty good.The whole thing smells from the start. If you go walking around in the dark you soon learn that when your eyes adjust you can see where you are going and do some pretty good searching on your own without any light. The flashlight can become a pacifier.
Many departments have changed to very small lights and officers find them much lighter to carry and almost as effective in normal circumstances.I've reviewed a few dozen shootings where a flashlight was present in the officer's hands. In EVERY case the light hits the ground. When afraid or think you will die, the flashlight is a gone issue. A major New York City study in the late 1980's that officers did use the flashlights for searches, but the minute trouble surface the lights were on the floor or street. Other studies have shown the same results. They are only applied until trouble arrives and the flashlight may speed up that process.We urge students to use BOTH hands to shoot and/or defend them and to bring out a flashlight ONLY when everything is under control. We also show a TWO person approach where one can stand at a distance (distance is a lifesaver) and use the light of ONE flashlight and the other officer or person uses a two handhold on their gun etc. A flashlight is a serious liability in the dark. I've even seen officers with their flashlights in their hands in daytime hours. Again, it is not a magic wand.When possible use car lighting, or available lights. It is amazing how many building searches take place and nobody bothered to flick a light switch on.We've tried to catch on a real video where an officer held onto a flashlight in a shooting situation and so far we don't have one. With hundreds of actual videos of shootings it is obvious such an event is rare to non-existent.Instead of trying to make a fashion statement, look at your flashlight as having a place of course, but let common sense prevail and examine your use of it. If it just makes you FEEL better, or you want to look efficient, trained, professional and "cool" you are on the wrong track. Your life is not a fashion statement.We have compared flashlight shooting vs no flashlight shooting in low light and darkness and the gain of accuracy and control of the gun without the flashlight is a no contest winner EVERYTIME.In fact, in practice when we apply a little stress they forget to turn on the flashlight or forget to use it, or drop it on the floor. Trying to concentrate on a flashlight AND a gun at the same time is not easy even with no stress present.T
he vast majority of the time you will know damn well if you are in danger, and the range will be so close a flashlight will have little application or advantage.
You don't need an electronic security blanket or something to keep your hands busy. (c)1998 Plus P Technology, Inc.
Any comments on this? Especially in regards to the idea that a flashlight makes you into a vulnerable target, and that when the chips are down you don't use it anyway. Agree, disagree? Unfortunately I don't know the source.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
LESSON #13 The flashlightEverytime I watch COPS on TV I flinch. You see some cops running around holding their flashlights like a bunch of idiots. They all look like they are making a movie, were trained and swallowed the nonsense like robots and never questioned how it is done in the real world because what they learn "looks cool." That is the honest real life truth.We are concerned with cosmetics and trendy instead of staying alive. Officers and security guards wave the flashlight around like a magic wand that will somehow bless then with some un-seeable wisdom and information.
NOT!!!!Let's back up a little to the 1960's. When I got into law enforcement we had cheap easy to break chrome two cell flashlights. They served the purpose well but if you slammed a car door on them or they broke they were rather disposable. The company, "Kel-Lite" flashlight came about. A strong aluminum flashlight that took a real beating and the four-cell model made an ideal club if you needed it. That soon lead to a pile of legal actions but it started the concept that a flashlight was a "tactical tool." It was no longer a flashlight.It smashed windows, heads, and doors. It seemed to solve a lot of problems. Other manufacturers came on line and the flashlight was a fashion statement. " Mine is brighter and bigger than yours" was born. Not content with the device just giving us light, it became a complex "system." We had to have more than one and attached them to guns, recharged them and wrote books about how to use the simple flashlight.
Let's stop the nonsense.First of all, it is damned seldom an officer or civilian is walking in an area with out enough light to see. Even inside of buildings, I've watched guards or officers run around with their Hollywood flashlight moves and not bother to reach for a simple light switch. "The crooks will see me." They scream when you turn on the lights. Unless you are hunting for Stevie Wonder they will certainly see YOUR flashlight. If daylight is good, then lights are good. Simple logic unless you want to bore us with some wild way out "one time" or "what if" concept.
Years ago the FBI (the sometimes experts on such things) said you MUST hold the flashlight away from your body as far as you can because the thug will shoot AT the light. That wasn't good enough for the new breed that made the flashlight into a "tool." That was far too easy. They came up to the idea (with help from armchair gun writers with little or NO experience) that you should hold it in one hand and the gun in the other together, sometimes back of hand to back of hand. Man, that looks "cool."Nobody stopped it then and asked some common sense questions. Will a thug shoot at the light? I would think so if I was trying to avoid capture. It sure is a target of opportunity.Another fact they ignore is why would you give up ONE hand in the dark and claim you need TWO in the daylight? Also, having BOTH hands full most of the time at night isn't very smart. The flashlight becomes a serious liability. Also most shootings are at such close range, light is seldom an issue.What is amazing is the armchair types that make up flashlight "stances" named after them. How nice for promotion of books etc. Of course they can't tell you something simple, or you won't buy the book or video. It must be complex and require a lot of effort to make the money spent worth it. Also you sound very knowledgeable when you show someone else this well named knowledge.One of my favorites is how the flashlight beam will DAZZLE the suspect. Sure it will and the drugs, insanity and booze won't? Also, a thug won't stand still while you wave the flashlight around to find his moving face, and what the hell are you doing trying to shine a light on someone that needs a bullet?Even using the older FBI system of holding your flashlight extended from your body produces more than enough light to show you as a pretty good target. Light will reflect off walls, ceilings, and even bushes to light you up pretty good.The whole thing smells from the start. If you go walking around in the dark you soon learn that when your eyes adjust you can see where you are going and do some pretty good searching on your own without any light. The flashlight can become a pacifier.
Many departments have changed to very small lights and officers find them much lighter to carry and almost as effective in normal circumstances.I've reviewed a few dozen shootings where a flashlight was present in the officer's hands. In EVERY case the light hits the ground. When afraid or think you will die, the flashlight is a gone issue. A major New York City study in the late 1980's that officers did use the flashlights for searches, but the minute trouble surface the lights were on the floor or street. Other studies have shown the same results. They are only applied until trouble arrives and the flashlight may speed up that process.We urge students to use BOTH hands to shoot and/or defend them and to bring out a flashlight ONLY when everything is under control. We also show a TWO person approach where one can stand at a distance (distance is a lifesaver) and use the light of ONE flashlight and the other officer or person uses a two handhold on their gun etc. A flashlight is a serious liability in the dark. I've even seen officers with their flashlights in their hands in daytime hours. Again, it is not a magic wand.When possible use car lighting, or available lights. It is amazing how many building searches take place and nobody bothered to flick a light switch on.We've tried to catch on a real video where an officer held onto a flashlight in a shooting situation and so far we don't have one. With hundreds of actual videos of shootings it is obvious such an event is rare to non-existent.Instead of trying to make a fashion statement, look at your flashlight as having a place of course, but let common sense prevail and examine your use of it. If it just makes you FEEL better, or you want to look efficient, trained, professional and "cool" you are on the wrong track. Your life is not a fashion statement.We have compared flashlight shooting vs no flashlight shooting in low light and darkness and the gain of accuracy and control of the gun without the flashlight is a no contest winner EVERYTIME.In fact, in practice when we apply a little stress they forget to turn on the flashlight or forget to use it, or drop it on the floor. Trying to concentrate on a flashlight AND a gun at the same time is not easy even with no stress present.T
he vast majority of the time you will know damn well if you are in danger, and the range will be so close a flashlight will have little application or advantage.
You don't need an electronic security blanket or something to keep your hands busy. (c)1998 Plus P Technology, Inc.
