Policing often takes place in unpredictable environments where visibility can make or break an operation. Officers must maintain situational awareness while managing traffic stops, securing crash sites, and conducting tactical searches under pressure.

These challenges have driven a shift in expectations for lighting equipment. As Tim Taylor, Streamlight’s director of sales in law enforcement and sporting goods markets, explains, “Law enforcement personnel increasingly demand lighting products that provide greater search, precision, and perimeter control capabilities.”¹

Modern policing demands more than brightness; it requires smart, integrated, and durable lighting solutions that adapt to evolving challenges. Officers are working in conditions that are more complex than ever before. Low-light encounters often involve multiple moving parts, including vehicles, pedestrians, and other potential threats. From tactical entries to roadside crash management, modern lighting solutions are designed to help officers make faster, smarter decisions while minimizing exposure to danger. These tools are no longer optional; they are essential for maintaining safety and efficiency when every second counts.

Precision Meets Power

Officers often find themselves navigating dark alleys, rural roads, or smoke-filled rooms where visibility is compromised. In these moments, a reliable light source can mean the difference between identifying a threat and missing a critical detail. Streamlight has been addressing these challenges for more than five decades, evolving from its early halogen “super flashlight” to today’s advanced LED systems.

One standout is the TLR-1 HL-X USB weapon-mounted light, which exemplifies this evolution. Delivering 1,500 lumens and 20,000 candelas, it produces a wide beam pattern that illuminates both the target and surrounding area, reducing blind spots during high-risk encounters. Its multi-fuel technology allows users to choose between rechargeable USB-C battery packs and lithium batteries, which is a crucial advantage during extended shifts or emergencies. The hinged face cap enables quick battery changes without needing to remove the light from the firearm.

For handheld use, the ProTac HP-X USB is built for long-range visibility. With 800 lumens and 105,000 candelas, it cuts through fog and smoke up to 648 meters, making it ideal for perimeter searches or rural patrols. Built from aircraft-grade aluminum, this tactical light can withstand harsh conditions while offering extended run times and USB-C rechargeability.

Streamlight’s focus on high-lumen lights gives officers confidence and control in unpredictable environments. “High-lumen lights provide maximum illumination to give first responders full situational awareness when on patrol, conducting investigations, or responding to emergencies.”² That situational awareness translates into faster threat assessment, improved decision-making, and enhanced safety, allowing officers to focus on the mission rather than their equipment.

Reinventing Roadside Safety

Roadside operations, such as traffic stops, roadside investigations, and crash scenes, remain one of the most dangerous tasks for law enforcement. Officers often work only inches from speeding vehicles in low-light and hazardous conditions. Traditional spotlights and flares offer limited protection and require constant attention, leaving officers exposed to unnecessary risk.

With the help of SoundOff Signal, Golight addresses these by focusing on a vehicle-mounted solution that integrates seamlessly with patrol systems. The GOLIGHT SL reimagines the classic A-pillar spotlight with advanced engineering and smart integration. Mounted using proprietary brackets that preserve vehicle integrity, the light delivers smooth rotation for quick adjustments. “The powerful beam reach and smooth 270-degree rotation allow officers to quickly illuminate large areas, improving situational awareness during traffic stops, searches, and perimeter checks,” said Officer Mario Reza of the Reno, Nevada, Police Department.³

By pairing the GOLIGHT SL with SoundOff Signal’s bluePRINT, many lighting and vehicle functions can be automated. This means officers can illuminate a suspect vehicle the moment the patrol car shifts into park or activate the oscillating pursuit mode to clear intersections—all without taking their hands off the wheel. Additional features like groundflare perimeter lighting alert passing motorists when officers are working roadside, reducing the risk of collisions.

Automation and intelligent lighting give officers greater control, improved visibility, and safer working conditions.^{4</sup) In high-pressure situations, reducing cognitive load and automating routine tasks can make all the difference.}

While Golight focuses on enhancing the patrol vehicle, pi-Lit turns its attention to lighting the roadway. Traditional flares pose fire risks, create blinding glare, and require repeated exposure to high-speed traffic for replacement. pi-Lit’s sequential LED flare technology solves these problems with smart, connected devices.

The flagship Ice Cream Sandwich Sequential Flare runs for more than 20 hours and uses a coordinated marching light pattern to guide drivers smoothly past an incident without overwhelming their vision. The engineers deviated from the round, hockey puck style flare, instead choosing a more utilitarian, rectangular design. This shape has maximized internal volume for battery capacity and prevents the rolling behavior of a round flare, while rugged construction ensures durability in harsh conditions. These flares minimize officer exposure by reducing the need for repeated trips in the roadway to replace a flame flare.

pi-Lit has also introduced the Smarter Cone, which is a stackable, chargeable traffic cone that activates automatically when deployed. It is ideal for DUI checkpoints, crash scenes, and mass evacuations.

Because pi-Lit products are cloud-connected, they are capable of notifying navigation apps like Waze and Apple Maps, dispatch centers, or traffic control systems when deployed. “The importance of new technology applied to traffic incident management is forewarning,” said pi-Lit Chief Executive Officer Jim Selevan.⁵ “Drivers should know miles ahead that there is a trooper or officer on the side of the road.” This proactive approach gives drivers advance warning, reducing surprise and confusion at high speeds.

Together, Golight and pi-Lit are redefining traffic safety. Both approaches, although different, serve the same purpose: creating safer, more predictable environments for officers working roadside.

Conclusion

Lighting has evolved from a simple necessity into a critical component of officer safety and operational success. Today’s solutions are designed not only to illuminate but to integrate seamlessly with technology, automate routine tasks, and reduce cognitive load during high-pressure situations. For officers, this means greater situational awareness, faster decision-making, and fewer risks when working in unpredictable environments.

Advanced lighting is more than a tool; It is a safeguard that helps officers return home safely after maintaining the highest standards of public safety.d

Notes:
¹Tim Taylor (director of law enforcement and sporting goods sales, Streamlight), email interview, December 4, 2025.
²Tim Taylor, email interview, December 4, 2025.
³Mario Reza (Officer, Reno, Nevada Police Department), email interview, December 12, 2025.
⁴Golight (marketing department), email interview, December 12, 2025.
⁵Jim Selevan (chief executive officer, pi-Lit), email interview, November 20, 2025.

Please cite as:

“Lighting the Way,” Product Feature, Police Chief 93, no. 1 (January 2026): 58–61.