Weapon-mounted light systems and tactical lights can also be a problem for essentially the same reason while searching we are telegraphing not only our position, but directing the suspect to fire on us at center mass. When in the search mode, we advocate keeping the light out and away from your center line, which is in contrast to exactly where it would be if using some of the range training exercises previously discussed.
Here are five basic applications for using our flashlights: 1. When clearing structures, instead of turning the lights on, turn them off to control backlighting and manipulate the environment at your discretion by activating your flashlight when applicable. When backing up other officers on traffic stops at night, turn off all of your lights except your rear wig-wags so as not to backlight your fellow officers. Over the years I have continued to learn different applications of how and when to use light to gain a tactical advantage in many different applications of law enforcement.įor example, when dealing with a suspect on a felony stop, we may not want them to face away from us, but rather turn them facing toward us looking directly into every light we can bring into the encounter. At this point of the training, my only thought was, “How are we going to get in there to turn off that light?” In just a few short days, I had dismissed what I had been trained to do as a standard operating procedure and adopted the new principles of low-light engagements. In my first scenario, we breached the door and were looking into an area that was completely dark, except for one light that was left on in the kitchen. I went along as he asked and performed the techniques and tactics that were being taught. I can only imagine what the instructor was thinking to himself, but he simply said, “Use the techniques during the drills, then when we go into the force-on-force scenarios, you can use whatever technique you like.” Having been a SWAT officer for a number of years and feeling I was well versed in building search tactics, I proudly informed the instructor that we always turned the lights on upon entering a room to gain the advantage.
#Flashlight in darkness how to
Initially I was skeptical because I thought, what could we possibly do for three days just learning how to use our flashlight.Īfter attending the lecture and doing a few drills, we moved onto the building search portion of the class. We use flashlights in many situations and depending on how and when we use them, they can either help us or make us a target.Ībout five or six years ago, I attended a three-day, low-light instructor’s course. We have learned over the years that flashlights have far more applications than just shooting platforms. Perhaps a few other dynamics were brought into the fray, but for the most part, the training was solely conducted at the range during some type of firing sequence. The firearms instructor shows us a variety of ways to manipulate our flashlight and weapon using different hand-held techniques. These conditions also contribute to the majority of mistake-of-fact shootings where officers believed that the individuals engaged were armed, when in fact they were not.įor many of us, low-light training consists of going to the range and learning how to fire our weapons in conjunction with our flashlights. Regardless of which study you believe, the majority of officer-involved shootings occur in low-light or no-light conditions. Studies over the years have stated that low-light conditions attributed to between 60 percent and 80 percent of officer-involved shootings. But depending on its use, it can be an asset or a liability. In law enforcement, the flashlight is an indispensible tool.
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