Not sure.... I'm old...but not that old!Correct me, if I'm wrong, but back in the late 50s and 1960s, CSP used portable red lights on their cars. Lights used were Fire Ball FB-1, Vitalite 121, and Deputy RotaBeam, all red, magnet mount.
Also forgot to ask a couple questions....does anyone know why the CSP uses Inner Edge Visor lights AND the lightbar..?? Makes sense to have the Rear inner edges for added visibility during stops, but the front doesn’t make any sense. **Pic: XLP Duo inner edge with a Legacy Duo lightbar.Whelen Inner Edge FST (dual or Tri Color WeCAN). If the units look extremely low profile and a bit less wide, then they are Whelen Inner Edge XLP Duo WeCAN. Either or, are RW(RWA)/BW(BWA). *My only question is how they get the letters to go away when shifted from the half amber to full warning colors ...would seem strange for them to have to manually slide the transparent letters cutouts in and out depending on the use of the lights.
**The rear bars are predominantly Whelen RST WeCAN (10 modules) Duo’s (RA/BA), but the ones not yet upgraded have Whelen RTX’s WeCAN (basically 6-8 Duo Ions)...and some old Interceptor sedans actually have just two duo ions on either side of the center brake light and the older PIU had Whelen Dominator 8’s lightstick.
***The rest of the car is equipped with all Whelen products: Front: Ford WigWag plug-in, push bars - two Ions (W) with either two more or Microns above in grille (1R 1B), Vertex’s or Ions in HL’s...front sides - LinV2 (or23’s), side rear-passenger windows - Ions, Rear Hatch side windows - Ions, Taillights- Vertexs & Flasher. All run by CantrolWC, Carbide or I believe some new 2020’s have Core. ***No idea why they don’t use any side mirror warning lighting (V2’s, SoS intersectors, Feniex Pucks, FS Cresents, or even Whelen Mirror Beam Ions...Would think the Int/Pucks/V2’s/Cresents under the mirrors would be utilized as it helps define the whole vehicle width, helps at intersections AND serve as side scene/alley lighting - which the slick tops could benefit from since they don’t have the lightbar for that.
will do@02warnings we have an entire thread dedicated to states and their respective colors, if you wish to refer to that, so we can keep this one on topic
Also forgot to ask a couple questions....does anyone know why the CSP uses Inner Edge Visor lights AND the lightbar..?? Makes sense to have the Rear inner edges for added visibility during stops, but the front doesn’t make any sense. **Pic: XLP Duo inner edge with a Legacy Duo lightbar.
Thanks for the answer...and I agree completely - the two Microns in the grille are not sufficient, and the ions on the push bars are single color white (no clue why they would waste $ on single color these days when the duo’s/trio’s are only about $10-$15 more per light). I also think they could use two plate lights (ions) in the rear & some under mirror lights instead of the front fender V23’s (which can only be seen from about 45deg between front/side, rather than from the front, rear and sides like Intersectors, Pucks, LinV’s and Crescents)....and as I mentioned, the headlights factory readiness not being utilized at all is a bit silly.They use both because the cars are take home and the officers can remove the exterior lightbar when not on shift. If they are off shift and need to respond they have the warning power with the interior bar.
Since Ford dropped the sedans, the state moved to the utilities. The roofs are to high to be removing the bar, so now they are using interior only. I like the new utility set ups with the exception on the front. They could use another pair or two of heads to compliment and fill it out.
The reasons for the lights being the way they are (too many/too few) is not that complicated...it is simply because that's what was ordered. Many agencies simply do not put as much thought into what blinks and what does not as you might. All the 2016 and newer have headlight flashers which drown out any grill or headlight housing lights...and the 2020's this is even more the case.Thanks for the answer...and I agree completely - the two Microns in the grille are not sufficient, and the ions on the push bars are single color white (no clue why they would waste $ on single color these days when the duo’s/trio’s are only about $10-$15 more per light). I also think they could use two plate lights (ions) in the rear & some under mirror lights instead of the front fender V23’s (which can only be seen from about 45deg between front/side, rather than from the front, rear and sides like Intersectors, Pucks, LinV’s and Crescents)....and as I mentioned, the headlights factory readiness not being utilized at all is a bit silly.
***Is anyone else surprised that more agencies/states, including CT, don’t use Federal Signal lights (at least Spectralux ILS’s and CN Signalmasters)?? I only ask because they are the brightest of all the manufacturers, even with the reduced size, and have superior flash patterns to all competitors (which i’d consider to be: Whelen, Feniex, Code3 & Soundoff). ****And yes, I know of Whelens two locations, one is in CT....but that’s irrelevant just like Chicago PD using Code3 for so long despite FS being located in U-Park, IL. Texas SP using FS even though Feniex is headquartered in Austin, etc. My point(s) being, highway agencies are where lighting is extremely important, and the other being that it seems as though all CT law enforcement are Whelen users (state and muni).
The 1-7 is a DMV inspector. The "1" means it's DMV. "2" is DOT and so on...Last...has anyone else seen the “truly unmarked” vehicles that they’ve finally used with non-obvious civilian plates (.not the obvious ###-UTZ,WWL,WHK)?? I and several other people have seen the two PIU’s starting with BA-##### or PI’s with AM-##### — neither have spot-lights in the A-pillars (but you can see the front, rear, and side lighting and cameras etc if you are paying attention)...all the same things as on the “usual” ones: Ions in front grille and side rear windows, FST and RST in front/rear windshields, BUT these do have plate mount lights and Under Mirror lights - likely due to the lack of spotlight. The officers are always “plain clothed” but with badges, vests and other utilities and vehicles are Black or White PI/PIU’s that are 4-8yrs old and tinted. Anyone seen any others like this??
****Recently saw a dark brown PI with lightbar, and plates had a round state seal on the left and then just “1•7” on it down near exit 3 on 95. Another identical one a week earlier, with “SP•5” up exit 37 on the Merrit (it’s NOT a municipal plate, nor was it “5•SP” like towns in CT are).
yup - state seal with the SP-5...The 1-7 is a DMV inspector. The "1" means it's DMV. "2" is DOT and so on...
As far as the soft cars with normal plates, there are many, many LE agencies in CT that have cars like this with normal plates. DHS, Park Rangers, Veterans Affairs PD, MTA and AMTRAK have been known to not use fed plates from time to time. Yale, DOC, ENCON, DEEP bosses, DMHAS, Judicial Marshals, state uni PD's, Community College PD's, Tribal PD's, CLA, BWC, BLPA, Aquarion, MDC, etc. all may do this. My Chief has a plain white Explorer, tinted, Inner bars, no spot with two letter-five numbers and I have an identical car but black. Both of ours start with "AS" before the numbers. We are not state. All of the marked cars have muni plates though. Most boss cars will not have spotlights. Part of the reason is they are not needed, another part is that due to some of the unions rules, bosses cannot make traffic stops. We can make them, but MUST call patrol to the stop.
Did the "SP-5" car have a state seal like the DMV guy? If not, and it had regular plates with those letters it's a private citizen or possibly a security company.
BTW - the 1-7 one was posted up on the side of the highway, and the center of the Liberty2 bar said state police...so i’m surprised that that was a DMV one...yup - state seal with the SP-5...
No offense, but I highly doubt that if it was a DMV Insp. They had "DMV" in stickers in the center back in the day and now, if they have a lighted center sign, it says "Motor Vehicle" in the same over under as the CSP had. Unless they snatched an old bar from a CSP car and we're using that...which I highly doubt.BTW - the 1-7 one was posted up on the side of the highway, and the center of the Liberty2 bar said state police...so i’m surprised that that was a DMV one...
They are always there. The letters are clear and the lights flash through them. Low power amber for the sign. You can see them if you look carefully or it's put in low power flash.*My only question is how they get the letters to go away when shifted from the half amber to full warning colors ...would seem strange for them to have to manually slide the transparent letters cutouts in and out depending on the use of the lights.
I understand that - it’s like a stencil with clear letters, BUT it woukd seem that that would then reduce output (be apparent) when switched to warning modes because those two inner modules would be less potent due to the non clear parts of the stencils.They are always there. The letters are clear and the lights flash through them. Low power amber for the sign. You can see them if you look carefully or it's put in low power flash.
Thanks - and yeah, I only asked because I have seen some, like in GA, the SP there seem to have some Griswald competition going on (who can make their car best seen from space...which looks ridiculous). ***cant seem to load the other one, but this is quite similar to what i’ve seen GASP do...one had 3 Dual Avenger on dash, one hanging below the PAS side XLP, and then a clear single avenger between the D&P sides of the XLP. . . plus another 10 more lights in the grill /bumper / headlights.@O2Warnings
To touch your last part of your last post.
I know the officers have choice of adding more lighting to their rides, at their expense. Also they could not alter (placement or colors) of provided lighting. The activation of the troopers self added lighting had to be controlled separately also. So I doubt that they can change patterns or phases of provided lighting.
I haven’t seen any new utilities with added lighting yet. And the previous generation NGPI’s with the older liberty or the newer legacy Lightbar’s both with interior bars, I didn’t really see any troopers add any lighting (as they were pretty well lit as is).
Previous to the NGPI’s, the sedans with older liberties and the rear deck third brake light talon style lights, and the even older CVPI’s with 8 strobe edge bars and rear deck single dashmisers, I saw A LOT of additions.
It does not reduce perceived output. You also have the entire rest of the bar right next to it. As I previously mentioned, nobody really cares that much. I remember running a teardrop, wailer, and a headlight flasher. It's the operator, not the lights, that get you where you need to go. In many instances, too much flashing is counterproductive to the end goal.I understand that - it’s like a stencil with clear letters, BUT it woukd seem that that would then reduce output (be apparent) when switched to warning modes because those two inner modules would be less potent due to the non clear parts of the stencils.
**Also, since the whole FST does white flood, and has R and B, does that mean they have to buy FST Trios or is it possible to have some modules be duo and some trio (like the whole thing either RW / BW and just the center two are RWA / BWA ...OR...does it mean the whole thing has to be tri-color?...if so, then it would seem logical to make the other 4 modules the warning color for the opposite side (so driver side and passenger side outter 4 modules could flash RBW...which I’ve never seen any trooper vehicles do.
Teardrop is as far back as I go. Back in the day, I was obsessed with the CA steady burn swing down lights. Since we had no way to figure out what they were back then, I made my own out of a Sho-me grille light and used two more in blue and yellow on the back deck driver's side. Now I know they were ESS-Coplites.The 4 above lights were used in the 1960s as the warning lights by the CSP, before lightbars came in to use.
Of all the other q’s, I forgot to ask if anyone knows why they seem to be the only agency that despite being Red driver side and Blue passenger side on front and back then have red on both P&D front and rear-Sides with blue in the middle (2nd row windows)….rather than blue on the Passenger sides and Red on the drivers sides. THAT is definitely something that was “given thought” to and done uniformly on all vehicles (even on the new Chargers - although they have added another set of 1R and 1B microns/ions to the fronts, making it a total of 2 blue and 2 red in the grilles…yet they didn’t do that with the new PIU’s that were issued at the same time. One would think that they would have done one or the other — I like the extra two, and would think the SUV’s would warrant them just as much as the Chargers. **Still baffled by the Amber on the fronts, seems like white with the stencils would be more eye catching/legible. Are there any other Dept’s in the country w/ forward Amber?They use both because the cars are take home and the officers can remove the exterior lightbar when not on shift. If they are off shift and need to respond they have the warning power with the interior bar.
Since Ford dropped the sedans, the state moved to the utilities. The roofs are to high to be removing the bar, so now they are using interior only. I like the new utility set ups with the exception on the front. They could use another pair or two of heads to compliment and fill it out.
It's so there is red and blue from the side.Of all the other q’s, I forgot to ask if anyone knows why they seem to be the only agency that despite being Red driver side and Blue passenger side on front and back then have red on both P&D front and rear-Sides with blue in the middle (2nd row windows)….rather than blue on the Passenger sides and Red on the drivers sides. THAT is definitely something that was “given thought” to and done uniformly on all vehicles (even on the new Chargers - although they have added another set of 1R and 1B microns/ions to the fronts, making it a total of 2 blue and 2 red in the grilles…yet they didn’t do that with the new PIU’s that were issued at the same time. One would think that they would have done one or the other — I like the extra two, and would think the SUV’s would warrant them just as much as the Chargers. **Still baffled by the Amber on the fronts, seems like white with the stencils would be more eye catching/legible. Are there any other Dept’s in the country w/ forward Amber?
I found out what this plate was. DAS leased vehicle.yup - state seal with the SP-5...
BTW - the 1-7 one was posted up on the side of the highway, and the center of the Liberty2 bar said state police...so i’m surprised that that was a DMV one...