During SHOT Show 2013 in Las Vegas last month, I encountered an interesting little device which has a potential law enforcement application, although it appears it first glance to be a consumer product.
The APALS-AIR (short for ‘All-Purpose Adhesive Light Strips with Active Illumination Reflective Technology’) from Brite-Strike, is a micro-thin LED light strip that can be seen from up to 1/4 mile away and has a runtime of about 35 hours.
The Brite-Strike website says it is “great for jogging, cycling, water sports, motorcycles, or even walking the dog” but in my opinion, this product could easily replace those disposable chem. lights used by teams to mark cleared rooms.
The APALS operates in three modes — fast strobe, slow strobe, and steady on — and each one has a super-sticky adhesive on the back (apparently “holds tight to any surface wet or dry”). You activate each mode in succession by clicking a switch on the strip.
For SWAT operators, you’d just stick two together (back to back) so when you pitch it into a cleared room, it will flash no matter which side it lands on. If you reverse them correctly, a quick squeeze between the thumb and the forefinger will activate both sides at once, and successive clicks will bring you to the same subsequent mode’s setting.
APALS retail for $44 for a box of 10 in the visible-light range (IR are slightly higher).
At first glance, this might seem a bit pricey, but probably not when you consider the “total price of ownership” factor. The mere fact that these things are reusable myriad times (while chem. lights are a one-time-only deal) all but ensures that the Brite-Strike micro-LEDs provide equal or better value.
Without question, they are smaller, lighter, and more versatile.
During my SHOT SHOW booth visit I was told that purchases in bulk will yield a discount based on the amount purchased, and that the company has an LE program for small agencies and individual officer purchases.
I was also informed that certain “high profile” JSOC units are using the product and have been “very helpful in the product development.”
Gee, I wonder who those guys might be...
