12 really cool new police products

POLO WITH A CHILLING EFFECTBlauer’s B.Cool Performance Polo uses an innovative fabric blend developed to keep officers cooler on the hottest days. The shirt is constructed of lightweight, mois-ture-wicking polyester and mesh for quick drying and also excellent breathability. Pill resistant, the B.Cool Performance Polo is also designed specifically for law enforcement duty. It features a centered mic tab and a double pen pocket. Available in a wide variety of colors and sizes, including tall sizes.

www.policemag.com/freeinfo/18315

BOOBY TRAP SIMULATORThe PIISA from Brite-Strike takes its name from the expression, “It’s a pissah,” which is popular New England slang for something extraordinary. It was developed to warn soldiers in the field that their perimeter has been breached by potentially hostile troops. The trip-wired alarm system has also proven popular with civilian campers as a wild animal deterrent. And finally law enforcement trainers are using the inexpensive and reusable system as a booby trap simulator.


BOMB TRAINERWe’ve never seen anything quite like the Cyalume police explosive training simula-tors. These reusable tools can simulate the blast effects of a real bomb using compressed air reservoirs for the boom and chemical powder for smoke. The non-pyrotechnic devices are so safe that officers can even detonate a bomb vest while wearing one in training. The only protective gear necessary is hearing protection because the crack of these “bombs” hits about 140 decibels. It’s also recommended that the devices be used

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We see a lot of products here at POLICE. Each year we go to a wide variety of trade shows and events where manufacturers trot out their newest and best. Our

staff and our contributing writers also have numerous opportu-nities to go hands-on with this stuff.

So we tend to get pretty jaded about new stuff because often

the only new thing about new products is a slight improvement or even adjustment. But occasionally there are some products that make us think, “Hey, that’s cool.”

Here’s a look at some products that really impressed or in-trigued the POLICE staff in the last 12 months or so. Most are new. Some are just new to us.

Technology and innovation keep pushing the bar higher for law enforcement tools.DAVID GRIFFITH

12 Really Cool New Police Products

Brite-Strike

Cyalume

Kel-Tec

Morphix

RedXDefense

L.C.O.A.

Shieldspike

Winchester

18 POLICE BUYER’S GUIDE 2013

outside because the powder/smoke really makes a mess. Cyalume is working on a way to simulate the flash of a bomb in fu-ture versions.


SHOTGUN SHOCK ABSORBEROver the years a wide variety of manu-facturers have tried to tame the recoil of the 12-gauge police shotgun. Few have

21ST-CENTURY SHOTGUNIf you were going to design a shotgun for a science-fiction movie, you’d prob-ably conceive something like the Kel-Tec KSG. This bullpup pump shotgun has two magazine tubes and the capacity to carry 12 rounds of hurt. Features include an ad-justable stock, a Picatinny rail for mount-ing the latest optics, and a rubber butt pad to minimize recoil. You can buy a cheaper shotgun, but you won’t find a cooler one.


X-RAY VISIONOK. The Range-R system from L-3 Cy-

Terra won’t give you Superman’s ability to see through almost everything, but it will give you critical intelligence about what’s behind a wall or a door. Bulky, heavy, un-wieldy through-the-wall radar systems have been available for more than a de-cade, but the Range-R is an example of the next generation of this technology; it’s handheld. That makes the Range-R the smallest and lightest wall sensor avail-able, and an extremely useful SWAT tool.


LIGHTWEIGHT PROTECTIONThe DeadStop Shields from L.C.O.A. Composites are the lightest ballistic shields on the market, tilting the scales at 10 pounds to 17 pounds. Using L.C.O.A.’s Featherplate armor technology, the DeadStop Shields are not only lightweight but strong; they can stop a .44 Magnum round and are rated NIJ IIIA. The shields feature curved viewports for excellent downrange vision, ambidextrous padded handles, and a curved design to protect operators from tangential attacks. The shield can be combined with an optional high-intensity tactical light.


EARLY WARNING SYSTEMThe Chameleon from Morphix Technol-ogy is essentially a “canary in the coal mine” for first responders. This easily worn hazardous chemical detection fea-tures inexpensive cassettes that change color when exposed to something nasty. The cost-effective Chameleon has been used for several years by the U.S. military but the company only recently started marketing it to law enforcement.


done the job better than ITT Enidine, which introduced the Shot Shock last year. Endorsed by the National Tactical Officers Association, the Shot Shock is a hydraulic system recoil buffer integrated into a four-position collapsible butt stock. The result is a marked reduction in felt recoil, almost 70% according to the company’s tests.


12 Really Cool New Police Products


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RECHARGEABLE POCKET LIGHTWe have long been fans of the Quiqlite. Invented by a police officer, this inexpen-sive ($22 to $50), hands-free, LED light is the answer to the officer’s need to keep his or her hands available during a traffic stop. The new Quiqlite X is a much-im-proved product with a lot of cool new fea-tures. The Quiqlite X is rechargeable via a USB cable. Also, the new light has two Cree LEDs that can be operated individu-ally. Other improvements include a timer that shuts off the light after 10 minutes to save battery time, a 360-degree rotating magnetic clip for numerous use options, and an anti-glare visor. The Quiqlite X is available in three versions: white LEDs, red and white LEDs, blue and white LEDs.


PALM-SIZED CHEMISTThe RedXDefense XCAT is a handheld device that can reliably identify narcot-ics, explosives, and gunshot residue in the field. Scaled down from a military tool called the XPAK, the XCAT is easy to use and relatively inexpensive. All the op-erator has to do is select the test card that matches the suspected substance, then sample a trace amount of the substance. The chemistry happens in the machine, and the operator receives a simple “yes” or “no” via a red light/green light system. Introductory price on the XCAT is $1,500 for the unit and 3.50 for each test card.


WINDOW SMACKERThere are a lot of different ways for emergency personnel to break car win-dows. We’ve heard of people using ham-mers, screwdrivers, rifle barrels, and, of course, the small window punches on folding knives, but we’ve never seen a better tool for the job than the Shield-spike Hammerspike glass breaker. This 19-inch-long tool weighs 1.5 pounds, is easily wielded in one hand, and can really smack a window. In tactical situations, of-ficers can hold a shield and use the Ham-merspike at the same time.


TOTAL DEVASTATIONSome weapons and some ammunition give you the skin-crawling response of “Jeez, I wouldn’t want to get hit with that.”

That’s our response to the new Winchester Segmented Slug. This 12-gauge shot shell features a slug that’s kind of a hybrid be-tween buckshot and a slug. Fired from 50 yards out, it performs like a slug. At 40 yards, it breaks into two pieces on impact. And at 30 yards or less, it’s devastating, breaking into three pieces at impact. So it’s like getting hit with three slugs at once. If you’re worried about liability, Winchester

has an answer for that, too. The Segment-ed Slug stays in one piece and flattens out when it hits barrier material such as glass or steel. Winchester says the Segmented Slug eliminates the need for officers to car-ry both slugs and buckshot. We don’t know about that, but we do know that this thing is going to absolutely ruin the day of any-one it hits at 30 yards or less.



12 really cool new police products

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