While wandering the law enforcement section of the SHOT Show 2016 expo floor, I stopped dead in my tracks and stared at something, wishing I had come up with the idea myself. On display among several models of Seer police motor officer helmets was one turned so the back was facing outward from the booth. At the top rear was a small but powerful flashing blue and red LED light.
Dubbed the Seer/STG Enhanced Motor Officer Helmet Lighting System, consists of a small, aerodynamic rectangular lightbar on the back of the helmet and two small round lights on the front. The lights operate by a wireless (Bluetooth) connection so that any time the officer squeezes the brake lever or activates his/her emergency lights and sirens, the appropriate lighting option turns on, offering much higher officer visibility in either day or night operations. When activated, the two round lights on the front of the helmet flash (oscillating left to right) in either blue or red. The system runs on a small Lithium-Ion battery which can hold its charge for up to three days. Recharging is done simply via a small USB port.
The system also works while the officer is away from the motorcycle — while approaching a vehicle on a traffic stop, or while directing traffic, for example. When an officer finds themselves in a tactical situation in which having flashing lights on their head is the last thing they’d want, they can simply manually deactivate the system with the press of a button.
The company says quite boldly that the “Enhanced Motor Officer Helmet Lighting System is the most important advancement in helmet development and safety in decades,” and frankly, they could well be right.
