MSP Dumping rotating red beacons to save $$

[markbajek]

Sorry to be a bit off the radio topic part.

But Considering the MSP red light is a classic iconic stomach queezer in the rear view mirror..
I noticed a new red overhead strobe on an MSP vehicle in the Upper last month.

It's a HI/lo powered 360 degree pulse....like you'd find on a remote controlled toy fire truck...
Concerned over a severe break with tradition I wrote the fine folk in blue. It looks like a toy light.

This is their reply.

Mr. Bajek,

I am writing in regards to your question about our overhead emergency light. The rotating beacon is very old technology that has proven to be very expensive and unreliable. The bulbs for the rotating beacon cost the MSP approx. $45,000 per year. The light itself draws almost 18 amps of power from the electrical system. And the rotating overhead light is usable for the life cycle of only one vehicle.

The light output of the new LED overhead beacon is more than the rotating model. However, they do have a high and low intensity setting. You may have seen the lights as they were being operated on the low setting. The new LED overhead will be useable for the life cycle of 3-4 vehicles, will be maintenance free and draws only 3 amps of power from the electrical system. The new LED overhead beacon will save the MSP approx. $160,000 over the next six years.

==============================

Me again:

It's a shame 160 K over 6 years....under 30K per year to save a piece of Michigan law enforcement history and tradition..

You'd think we could just raid the school surplus fund.

Thanks for your time...sorry about the non radio topic part.

Mark

 

[garryd451]

1. Do you really want to raid your Child's or Grandchild's Educational Fund to keep an Red Light on top of a police car?

2. I am not a professsional peanut counter, but alot of people close to the money problems our state is having say this isn't a true surplus, it was intended for Education. That the professional State of Michigan Peanut Counters created this surplus by not counting in the reduction in the amount of per student money given to the local schools now compare to 3 years ago. I am not a peanut counter so I don't know if this is true, but if it is true, there may not really be a surplus in the Education Fund?

 

[markbajek]

Ok, How about a bake sale?

 

[FFPM571]

the untiy RV-26 light is old technology that draws alot of power. The LED beacons have the same appearance as they reuse the same base with new Whelen LEDs and new solid red dome. In the long run it will save money as the cost of maintaining the LEDs is pretty non exististant.

 

[iMONITOR]

"The bulbs for the rotating beacon cost the MSP approx. $45,000 per year." ???

Sounds like someone at MSP has a brother in-law in the bulb business! :twisted:

 

[bigbluemsp]

$45K is way off the mark. I doubt the person who replied to your question via email has anything to do with the process.

My friend works for a Whelen Distributor and he was the one who put all the beacons together for MSP. They are all Justice Lightbar heads. MSP picked the pattern which totaly BLOWS and even the troopers have told me they hate it becuase it's not eye catching enough. I know the trick to changing and so far no one can figure it out but I know it ...

I wont fix it and have had guys ask to do that.

BTW the change over started last summer..

 

[SCPD]

Let it go

Pesonally, I don't see the big deal with dropping the bubble.
But why an LED one instead?
I say ditch the one big light all together, and go with full width strobe bars.
And please don't tell me they can't be seen as far. I'm not even buying that.

 

[rdale]

At least some sort of tradition.

And I have better than 20/20 eyesight, but there's NO WAY that I can see LED bars anywhere near as far as I see "good old fashioned" lightbars. My local FD chiefs' cars just have a small LED bar on the roof with flashing headlights / rears -- and I don't notice them at all from a distance.

 

[i5adam8]

Those new LED Bubble lights are almost invisible in the daytime. I haven't had any problems seeing the full length lightbars on some of the local PD's & Sheriff cars but those MSP LED lights are terrible.

 

[BoxAlarm187]

I know the trick to changing and so far no one can figure it out but I know it

The purple wire?

And coming from an area that's had LED's on law enforcement vehicles for years, I have yet to see any Whelen bar that you can't see from Mars.

 

[bigbluemsp]

The purple wire?

And coming from an area that's had LED's on law enforcement vehicles for years, I have yet to see any Whelen bar that you can't see from Mars.

Purple/White but shh It's missing so they couldn't monkey with it.

Yes Whelen is the GOD of LED Lighting

 

[macari77]

saw one yesterday. brighter (even in the day), still within tradition, cheaper

dont know why they didn't make the switch sooner

 

[GTO_04]

Pesonally, I don't see the big deal with dropping the bubble.
But why an LED one instead?
I say ditch the one big light all together, and go with full width strobe bars.
And please don't tell me they can't be seen as far. I'm not even buying that.

The LEDs have a much longer lifespan than a strobe or incandescent light. OTOH, not all LED lightbars are as bright as the Whelen.

GTO_04

 

[OldBlue]

Happened to see one of the new LED beacons at an accident on 131 just south of GR yesterday afternoon in the bright sunshine. Also, I could compare it to the old technology as there were two other units there too. One a Tahoe and the other a CVPI with the old beacon, and other than the flash pattern, which is not that impressive, it was much brighter than either of the other two.

 

[gambill1]

Has anybody been able to get a pic of the new light?

 

[Jimmy252]

YouTube - Michigan State Police Training Track -Heres a picture/video with it.

YouTube - MICHIGAN STATE POLICE L.E.D. BEACON (UNITY RV26 W/WHELEN LEDS) -Here's a demonstration of the new light.

 

[bigbluemsp]

YouTube - Michigan State Police Training Track -Heres a picture/video with it.

YouTube - MICHIGAN STATE POLICE L.E.D. BEACON (UNITY RV26 W/WHELEN LEDS) -Here's a demonstration of the new light.

The last link is my video