NCJ Number
149790
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 18 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1994) Pages: 46-48,98-99
Date Published
1994
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Noting that most police shootings occur under poor light conditions, this article offers guidance in techniques police should use in dim light or darkness.
Abstract
The main problems a police officer encounters in dim light include navigating, locating threats, identifying threats, and engaging the adversary. When using a flashlight, the police officer should usually use short flashes of light rather than a continuous beam to prevent a potential attacker from locating the police officer easily. However, it takes up to 30 minutes for vision to adjust to darkness. Therefore, in building searches police officers should try to find the light switch or circuit breaker panel to turn on the lights. The officer should communicate the intention to turn on the lights to other officers. Police officers should also practice improving their muscle memory to improve their aim at distances of less than 20 feet. They should also become familiar with several potential techniques for using a flashlight in conjunction with a handgun and should experiment with each technique to select a favorite one. They should also use different techniques for single and multiple adversaries. Photographs