Calif. Emergency Lights

[MPD3P59]

I took some vacation in California recently and noticed that most the CHP cars only had one steady-burning red light while on traffic stops. Most didn't even have outside, over head lights. Now I notice (on COPS, John Bunnell-ish specials, and other cop shows) that CA LE Vehicles always have a steady burn red light as a part of their lighting system. Whether it is integrated into the lightbar or a red lens on the spot. Even motor officers have a steady red and flashing blue light. My question,is this a legal requirement of a police vehicle?

All of my patrol cars, and my current detective car, have had alternating red/blue flashing lights toward the front and rear of the car. That's pretty standard throughout this region.Some agencies have yellow arrowstiks to the rear also. I wondered what was standard in other areas of the country and if any CA officers could quell my curiosity. Anyone?

[Niteshift]

CA law requires a steady burn red light. Why? I have no clue.

[slolightbar]

Dont EVEN get me started on CHP and their $%#@!$ light laws! Anyway.... they require a steady burning red to the front visible to at least 500 feet and a flashing amber to the rear visible to 500 feet and a siren to be considered an emergency vehicle. CHiPees are SO CONSERVITIVE when using their lights! When they are on traffic stops, they just have their hazards on! most white CHiPee vehicles (slicktop [no lightbar] traffic units) have dual spots (of course ); the drivers side has a red filter on it to use as the steady burn. Ok, im into it... might as well give you the light and siren setup on all cars :

White traffic units: wig wags, dual spots, 8 lamp federal signal arrowstick to the rear with SML2 alternating lights (amber/blue and red/blue) and that counts as the flashing amber to the rear. SS2000SM siren to the front with a BP100 speaker mounted on the push bumper:

Black and white slicktop: SAME AS ABOVE.

Black and white w/lightbar: Federal Signal Premium vision (which runs about $3200 a pop! [thats what you CA ians are spending your money on!!!]) with integrated arrowstick. SS2000SM siren with BP100 speaker mounted on the push bumper, dual spots, wig wags.

Utility Vehicles: steady burn red light on the bumper, single spot, wig wags, and flashing amber PAR36 in the rear window.

PHEW!!!!!!! I think thats it... see ya later!!

[PelicanDriver]

Especially on freeways, CHP tends to just use the hazard lights while on a stop. It tends to reduce looky-loo slowing. Also, the rear overheads tend to draw DUI's towards the rear of the patrol car without prior slowing.

[RPD Explorer]

Yeah, a while back in our city, there was an officer (in a slick car) on a traffic stop up on the highway. He was rear ended by a drunk driver going about 80 mph. Totalled the squad car, the DUI car, and knocked out the officer. The squad car's rear bumper was smashed into the back of the officers seat. Luckily, the officer only got a concusion and some other minor injuries.

Mike

[Ksfuzz]

Regardless, I think I'll stick to using my light bar on traffic stops....something about being seen makes me feel better!

From my experience with drunks....if they are going to hit you....it don't matter if you have a light bar, disco lights, or are total blacked out....they are gonna hit you anyways!

[steelmelt]

The CA Vehicle Code requires every emergency vehicle must have one steady burning red light, and a rear flashing amber light. This may be a legend, but I was told that the steady reed light was because people wouldn't pull over because they didn't see the lights because everytime they looked back the light would be facing the other way.

With the roof lights we can still make it flash- either front or backwards. Those light bars can do pretty much anything you can think of.

We are also very conservative with the siren too. I think the officers are supposed to honk before they use the siren on traffic stops too. Why?- people see a siren or red light and they instantly become 10 times dummer than they already were, and mess traffic up.

I have never been on a stop where we need to have anything other than the basic emergency flashers running- any stop that we would need them would be to unsafe for just a ticket. The officer just yell at the person on the PA to go up to a safe location.

[720]

I totally agree with the ways of the CHP. When on traffic here I would routinely turn off the lightbar after the suspect had stopped then just used the front and rear flashers. No sense making a big ole' scene. And once I get back into LE and get one of our new cars with dual spots I will just use a flashing passenger side Red bulb and my rear ambers to do traffic. Keeps people moving by as they aren't drawn into "Rubber Necking" at all the lights.

[Plaso]

CVC 25252. Every authorized emergency vehicle shall be equipped with at least one steady burning red warning lamp visible from at least 1,000 feet to the front of the vehicle to be used as provided in this
code.

In addition, authorized emergency vehicles may display revolving,flashing, or steady red warning lights to the front, sides or rear of the vehicles.

The above is what the law in California states is required for lighting to be considered an authorized emergency vehicle.

As was posted earlier, the reason most officers don't use a lot of overheads on traffic stops on the freeway is they don't want to get hit by a duce.

There was a study done some 20 plus years ago that showed that blinking yellow lights can carry upwards of 50 miles under the right conditions (obviously optimum). It also showed a drunks propensity for becoming fixated on them thus resulting in a collision with the police unit. SOP for many years has been to not utilize flashing ambers if not really necessary at night, but using your emergency flashers after the stop has been effected.

Hope this helps answer your question.

[MPD3P59]

Thanks everybody. I appreciate the input. I altered my lightbar while in DUI enforcement. I made it so that the front flashers would burn steadily so as to prevent the defense from blaming the HGN on the lights. I wondered if CHP had the same reason. Anyway, there's been some good information, thanks again.

[LeeRoy]

The solid red in CA has been around longer than cops have been using HGN to detect DUI. Watch for reruns of Adam-12. Their car had two solid reds to the front and flashing ambers to the rear. Also watch for Streets of San Francisco. Michael Douglas had a solid red which he would hang from the rear view mirror.

Speaking of the CHP they studied DUI wrecks involving stopped patrol cars. They concluded that it was safer to turn off the lights after the stop was made as some drugs would steer towards the lights. I turn mine off on stops on the freeway at night. In town where the traffic speeds are lower I leave them on, not so much to warn traffic but to make it easier for cover officers to find me if I'm in trouble.

[Plaso]

Originally posted by LeeRoy:
[QB]The solid red in CA has been around longer than cops have been using HGN to detect DUI. Watch for reruns of Adam-12. Their car had two solid reds to the front and flashing ambers to the rear. Also watch for Streets of San Francisco. Michael Douglas had a solid red which he would hang from the rear view mirror.

You are obviously not old enough to remember the Broderick Crawford series about the "Highway Patrol." In that series which utilized Buick cars circa 1955/1956 they had one turndown red spot. A CHP Tradition that has carried on for years.


[ 08-27-2001: Message edited by: Plaso ]



[ 08-27-2001: Message edited by: Plaso ]

[LeeRoy]

You're right Plaso. Broderick was before my time. I grew up with A-12, the Rookies, Starsky and Hutch, Emergency, Chips.