As a rookie police officer, I had to spend a lot of money to buy the gear I needed to work the streets, but I didn’t have a whole lot of money to spend. So I made a list of items I needed and then placed them in the order I thought was most important to least important. Well, I have to admit that a flashlight was not near the top of my list. In fact, I started my career with a 3-D-cell Maglite.

After a few months on the street, I started to realize just how heavy my flashlight was to carry around. I also noticed how every time I did a building search or a traffic stop how much duller it was compared to many of the other more senior officers’ lights. I finally broke down and asked a senior officer what flashlight he carried. He said proudly that it was a SureFire. I asked him if they were any good, and you would have thought I just cursed out his mother. “Any good?” he said incredulously. “If you don’t have one for patrol, you’re an idiot.”

Well, for the next month or so I packed my lunch and saved up enough money to buy two SureFire lights. Why two? Because we have a saying on the force: One is none, and two is one. (Murphy's Law). After seven years of service I now carry two SureFire 6P® flashlights and an M3 (since replaced with M3LT) when I’m on patrol. I also have an X300® handgun light and M951 carbine WeaponLight. I can’t tell you how many times my SureFire lights have helped me successfully complete my job duties. Whether it’s searching a vehicle for drugs, a building search, or an area search, I don’t do anything without my SureFire lights.

Thank you, SureFire, for making a quality product that I use to keep me safe when times seem dark.

John S.
Phoenix, AZ

See the 6P Original and M3LT flashlights and the M951XM07 and X300 WeaponLights:

I was dispatched to a 459 audible (residential burglary alarm). I got out of my unit and ran across a busy neighborhood street to assist my partner. When I reached down to pull out my SureFire Z2 LED, [superseded by the Z2X LED--Ed.] I realized it was gone it had fallen out of my duty holster as I ran across the roadway. Unfortunately, because of the danger, I couldn't go back to look for it, so I continued inside the house and performed a building search with my weapon-mounted SureFire X300^® WeaponLight. We finished our check of the residence (the alarm was unfounded), and as we started walking back across the roadway, my partner saw Z2 LED lying in the number-two traffic lane. Just as he noticed it, a huge SUV drove right over it. I was crushed because I thought my Z2 was crushed and I'd just bought it a month ago. When I walked over to inspect it, I was amazed to see that it was perfectly fine and still worked like new. I'm so glad I spent the extra bucks to buy a SureFire flashlight, because they're tough as nails and able to withstand even the most severe punishment.

Officer Mike S.
Aliso Viejo, CA

See the Z2X flashlight and the X300 WeaponLight:

My SureFire X300^® saved a life one night, back in 2009. I was working night watch about 9:00 p.m. on a cold California night. I got a report of a person in a park lying on the ground in a poorly lit area. I arrived and contacted the person, who was asleep and clearly intoxicated. I woke him up, and he immediately started making threats. He got up, and before I could lay hands on him, he told me he had a gun, his right hand going for his waist band under his coat at the same time. I quickly drew my Glock 22, fired up my X300, and moved to my left. The suspect put his right hand in front of his face to shield his eyes from the intense light that was coming from my X300. Luckily for him, my X300 lit him up so brightly that I could see everything clear as day, and there was no gun under his coat. He ended up getting arrested, but it could've ended much, much worse for him. The light from my X300 was so bright that he had to shield his eyes from the light with his hands, which gave me enough time to see there was no gun and not escalate the force level. I've used my X300 many other times since then, but this incident really stands out to me. I believe the X300 is one of the best weapon-mounted lights on the market today. Thanks, SureFire.

David S.
Oceanside, CA

See the SureFire X300 WeaponLight:

I was working night patrol when I received a call about a suspicious noise coming from the rear alley of a local business. When I arrived on the scene, I saw a subject walking away from the business. I parked my marked unit and, as I exited, I asked him what he was doing. Before I could finish my sentence, I was looking down the barrel of a semi-automatic pistol. I ran to the opposite side of my unit and drew my weapon. As the subject gave chase, I stopped and pointed my gun at the subject and told him to drop the gun. I illuminated the subject with my SureFire X300^® just as he pointed his gun at me a second time. Shots were fired, and the rest is history.

I truly believe that my tactics, training, and SureFire X300 kept me a few fractions of a second ahead, and alive, that fateful night. I won't be able to get my weapon or my X300 back until the criminal case has been cleared, so I've been saving my money to purchase another X300. I feel naked every night I hit the streets without one, so hopefully I can purchase one (maybe even two) soon. I have stressed the importance of a reliable weapon-mounted light to all of my partners; since my incident, many have purchased one specifically, the SureFire X300. SureFire was a major element in my survival that night, and I hope all of the officers who read this story take into consideration just how important it is for them to have a reliable lighting system. Thank you, SureFire, for keeping me safe, alive, and able to return home to my family.

Rene M.
Brawley, CA

See the SureFire X300 WeaponLight:

Back in the day, when I was a young recruit, in the early 90s, we were issued one of your competitor's battery-operated 3-D-cell flashlights. Needless to say, it was not that bright. I went and bought my first SureFire 6R (now obsolete), based on what I'd read and a recommendation from the retail store. It was compact, produced a flawless, bright beam, and was the talk amongst other police officers, many of whom went out and bought their own. As a member of the K9 unit, I proposed a fulltime tactical light for our issued pistol. Needless to say, the SureFire X200® [superseded by the X300^®--Ed.]) beat out all competitors and is now the standard light for our K9 unit, ERT, marine, and mounted units. In addition, our department was looking for a new standard-issue light that had to be battery powered for earthquake preparedness. Not only did the light have to be bright and flawless, but our managers demanded high customer service. Our relationship with SureFire from our X200 purchases took care of that. As a result, the G2^® was selected as the standard-issue light for the 1,400 members of the Vancouver Police Department.

Sgt. Ray W. - Vancouver PD
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada

See the SureFire X300 WeaponLight and the G2 flashlight:

At the beginning of the year, I swapped out my department-issued weapon light for a SureFire X300. I made the switch primarily because my department-issued light put out a weak beam and always died so quickly. After training with my new X300, where it worked flawlessly and impressed my fellow trainees, I used it on duty for the first time in a building search, about a month after I got it. My partner and I responded to an alarm call, and we found an open door and a dark room. My partner did not have weapon light on his firearm, so I went in first. I turned on my X300 and lit up the entire room before we entered. It was a small room, and we cleared it quickly before entering a much larger room. My X300 lit up half of that room before we even entered it, and once inside, it lit up the rest. We could see everything-every corner, every nook and cranny. We quickly cleared that room, too, and declared the call a false alarm. I've used my X300 lots of times since that call, and I've yet to change the batteries. It is far and away the best weapon light I have every used. Thanks for making such a reliable product, SureFire.

David S.
Vista, CA

See the SureFire X300 WeaponLight:

I'm a US Marine infantryman and was in Iraq last year with a military advisor team. We were dispatched to find some oil smugglers at about 2:00 a.m. and after some searching, we found them off the main route, blacked out. I dismounted my vehicle with two other marines. All of us were equipped with Colt M4 rifles outfitted with a SureFire Scout Light and Beretta 9 millimeter pistols with SureFire WeaponLights. As I approached the first truck on foot, a man with an AK-47 climbed out and began shouting. I ordered him to put his weapon down, but he began to walk toward me. So I brought my rifle up and hit the pressure switch on my Scout Light, blinding the suspect. He instantly dropped his weapon, and we took him into custody.

I'm convinced that my SureFire Scout Light® saved us from a deadly force confrontation. I have SureFire lights on all my personal firearms, and I trust my life to them. Thanks for a lifesaving product.

Sergeant Jonathan L., USMC
Fallbrook, CA

See the Scout Light and X-Series WeaponLights: