To prove it, try a little night shooting with your usual technique. The center beam may light up an alley, but the spillbeam will keep an officer alive.

Remember the Basics Many officers shopping for flashlights overlook the most important aspect of the beam: The spillbeam. Unless you’re planning on patrolling the streets with your great grandchildren at you side, the Light For Life PC3.300 from 5.11 Tactical may be the last flashlight you ever buy. The Quark AA Tactical is about right for me, but most users will like the Quark MiniX. I like designs that agree with my gun and light method, which calls for a flashlight body at least as long as the width of my palm but no longer than the length of my hand with a switch in the rear.

Select a backup light that will allow you to continue searching a warehouse or an open field without hesitation when your primary goes down. How should you define a backup flashlight? A backup light should be a light that mimics a duty light in its basic operations: Momentary switch, a usable beam and ergonomics that agree with handling a firearm. Both have simple interfaces and use power efficiently. The 4Sevens Quark MiniX is the stubby version with similar features: bright, multifunction and tiny. The EPLI is a 2xAAA penlight that is brighter than most full sized duty lights, yet pocket sized. The question was: “What is your recommendation for a back up flashlight?” I have two, actually: The Brite-Strike EPLI and a 4Sevens Quark. Police1 recently had a discussion on the P1 Facebook page.

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