Good Article on Strobing Flashlight

This is from this week's Police Magazine Online...a toy I'm looking at getting in the near future.

How to Use a Strobing Flashlight - Article - POLICE Magazine

How to Use a Strobing Flashlight
by Edward M. Santos
I teach low-light classes nationwide and last year I noticed a dramatic increase in students who arrived for my classes equipped with strobe-capable lights.

As to the exact reason for this phenomenon, I can't tell you for sure.

Come on Mr Santos...cops love their toys! :)

...Many, in fact, believe that the disorientating effect of a strobe light exposure is a relatively new innovation.

It isn't.

The Bucha Effect

Let's look at the history of disorientation caused by strobe light exposure. The phenomenon that occurs when a person experiences dizziness and confusion when exposed to strobe lighting was first identified by a Dr. Bucha in the 1950s when he was asked to investigate a series of unexplained helicopter crashes.

After the crashes, surviving crew members said they experienced dizziness and disorientation from the strobing effect of rotating helicopter blades. The crews reported looking up at the sky with the rotors spinning above, creating the strobing effect that caused the disorientation. The rotor blades of the helicopter caused the sunlight to strobe in the eyes of the pilots, causing them to lose control of their machines. Dr. Bucha's first name has been lost to history, but this phenomenon has been known as the Bucha effect ever since....

Is the strobe light a gimmick or a viable tactical innovation? Do the positive benefits of strobe light deployment outweigh the negatives?

Here are some of the claims that are made in regard to the effects of a strobe light exposure.

•Disorients the suspect
•Diminishes an assailant's night adaptation
•Causes a disruption to the subject's vision, which affects his or her ability to use force
•Provides a visual and psychological hurdle to aggression
•Decreases the suspect's direct and peripheral vision
•Induces fear

Let's take a more in-depth look at some of these claims.

Flash/strobe disorientation is the result of an "after image" or temporary visual imprint caused by a brief exposure to high-intensity light levels. This image varies with light level and time duration or frequency of the exposure. The disorientation occurs as specific light frequencies affect the brain and the light cycles through those frequencies too fast for the brain to adjust.

Strobing tactical lights do not allow the photoreceptors to reset, which shocks an individual's vision. Strobing bright light forces the brain's perception input to arrive in segments, thus creating after images as the brain labors to fill in or complete the partial image created by the momentary exposure of the strobe. These after images compound with each strobe exposure, which increases perceptual disparity.

Police tacticians have long recognized the blinding caused by placing the hotspot of a high-intensity light in a subject's eyes. Add the disorientation caused by the strobing of a quality bright light and the benefits are obvious. However, these benefits also come with some disadvantages and tactical concerns....

Good article all in all and worth the read. I'm starting to look at a strobing light...you can get them for less than 100 bucks.