SPOKANE, Wash. — The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office is enhancing deputy safety with new Guardian Angel lights, which can be used in both tactical and non-tactical situations.
According to Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels, over a dozen of law enforcement officers nationwide have died over the last two years directing traffic and other routine duties because they weren’t visible to drivers.
It even has enough of them to outfit each of its K-9’s with them as well.
The Guardian Angel lights were provided through a grant from the Spirit of Blue Foundation, which supports law enforcement safety equipment nationwide.
“It’ll great increase our ability of our aerial units, our specialty units, to be able to identify where our officers are in critical moments and critical situations,” said Dave Ellis, Police Chief, Spokane Valley Police Department.
The lights feature flashing white, red, blue, and infrared settings and can be seen from up to five miles away, which the sheriff’s office believes will be helpful in various situations.
Spokane Valley Police Chief Dave Ellis noted that the lights will improve the ability of aerial and specialty units to locate officers during critical moments.
In one recent incident, a deputy struggled to communicate his location during a confrontation.
“His backup officers were having trouble finding him,” said Sheriff Nowels. “He felt that with one of these lights, they could have located him more quickly.”
The lights can be magnetically attached to K-9 vests and are also visible to the sheriff’s department drones and helicopters.
Sheriff Nowels expects the lights to be used more frequently as deputies become more familiar with them.
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