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Jul 31, 2023

New police glow: Area officers get LED

After the 2019 death of an area police officer accidentally struck by a motorist at a dark crash scene, a fellow officer and former mechanic began tinkering with ways to make responders more visible.

After the 2019 death of an area police officer accidentally struck by a motorist at a dark crash scene, a fellow officer and former mechanic began tinkering with ways to make responders more visible. The invention had officers glowing and standing out in the crowd of thousands at the VOA Country Music Fest in West Chester Twp. over the weekend.

Lit LED Safety Vests were created by Officer Don Campbell of the Wyoming Police Dept. to provide safety for police officers at night. It lights the body and face of the officer, and visibly glows for hundreds of feet.

The light strips on both the chest and back are placed under the mesh green vest so the glow is different from the lights of cruisers and other emergency vehicles. They light enough to show the side of an officer’s face, but not too much to block the officer’s view, said Campbell.

“You can see the face and know it’s a person, not a piece of equipment,” Campbell said. There’s also a dimmer for the lights so that officers can talk with a driver or passenger at a traffic stop without blinding them.

“We have all heard it before, people will stop and tell us they can’t see us when we are wearing the standard vest with reflective tape strips,” said Campbell, a 16-year law enforcement veteran.

The first responders standard vests with reflective white tape strips are “1945 technology, ” he said. But lights on police vehicles have evolved becoming more numerous and bright in recent years.

Officers’ vests need to be bright enough to stand out and apart from the flashing lights, Campbell said.

The Lit vests cost about $100 each and are worth the price tag for many departments. They were used during last month’s Taylor Swift concerts in Cincinnati by Hamilton County deputies and officers directing traffic and assisting the crowds of people safely across busy streets when the sun went down.

West Chester Police Chief Joel Herzog said his department initially purchased a few vests for traffic officers, but decided more vests would be beneficial for officers working in the large crowds at the music fest.

“Once night fell, every officer working inside the event and on a traffic post put on a Lit vest. This proved to be extremely beneficial for officer safety and medical teams. Anytime an officer went into the crowd they turn their vest on,” Herzog said. “Other officers, security team members, EMS crews, and the command post could readily find them, and give assistance if needed.”

The chief said the vests will be used in future low light large crowd events and traffic operations.

Police departments in the region currently using Lit vests include, Milford, Union Twp., Springdale and Springboro police departments as well as the Ohio State Patrol, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Hamilton County Coroner’s Office and Cincinnati Search and Rescue. Campbell said there are 15 departments in the country using them.

Springboro Police Lt. Aaron Zimmaro said all patrol division officers have had the Lit vest for about six months.

“They use them on accident scenes after dark,” Zimmaro said. “We have used them for traffic details after our concerts in the park and firework.”

Zimmaro said the vest piqued his interest, but it was the Springboro City Manager Chris Pozzuto who pushed to get them for officer safety.

“He (Pozzuto) was driving by an accident scene one morning before the sun came up. Our officers were out there and he could hardly see them and they had the old vests on. He knew it was dangerous,” Zimmaro said.

Butler County Sheriff’s deputies to do not have lighted vests, but are interested in learning more.

Chief Deputy Anthony Dwyer said cruiser lights do catch the attention of drivers and they don’t see an officer, especially it they walk away from the car.

A few Middletown Division of Police officers have lighted vests and Chief David Birk said they are researching uses and price.

“I feel they will help at night with traffic crashes and stops. I do want to know how the lights affect the body camera video. The department is exploring options,” Birk said.

About the Author

Lauren Pack, a native of the Miami Valley, has been on staff at the Journal-News since 1994 reporting on courts and crime.