FLIR Scout for patrol?

VPD4327 · 02-05-2013, 18:13

I know it's expensive and mostly a pipe dream because of the price, but would anyone consider dropping the coin on something like this? Now that the expense thing is out of the way, how cool would it be to have a handheld FLIR in your bag next to you. How many times does someone run, lay in the dark, and just wait you out? I remember when these things started shrinking in size and FD's started getting them but they've since come down from 10k to (i won't say its affordable-just not completely out of reach) 2k. Whadaya think? And no, I don't work for FLIR, just kinda want one.

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blueiron · 02-05-2013, 18:46

We played with them, but the more affordable ones require a large temperature differential to work well [a human against a 50* F background or a 98* F human against a 1200* F house fire.

In the summers here, it isn't quite as effective as one would hope for.

jeager · 02-05-2013, 18:50

Too much gear clutter for payoff.
can it sub for binocs, scope, compass, laser, flashlight,
camera, strobe, less than lethal weapon, etc.
under all conditions?

Faulkner · 02-05-2013, 19:55

I've been issued Gen 3 night vision and pretty much gets the job done in the dark.

VPD4327 · 02-05-2013, 20:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Faulkner

I've been issued Gen 3 night vision and pretty much gets the job done in the dark.

While night vision would be useful as well, my concern would be using NVG's in an urban area where you have intermittent street lights and such. You could put the cap on but walk around the corner and be back in the black. Does your dash cluster/MDT affect using the NVG's in the car? Obviously, one would close the screen but there's all sorts of ambient light in the car as well.

blueiron · 02-05-2013, 20:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by VPD4327

While night vision would be useful as well, my concern would be using NVG's in an urban area where you have intermittent street lights and such. You could put the cap on but walk around the corner and be back in the black. Does your dash cluster/MDT affect using the NVG's in the car? Obviously, one would close the screen but there's all sorts of ambient light in the car as well.

Quality Gen 2+ and 3/3+ NV have anti blooming technology. Street lighting or auto interior lighting isn't an issue.

kc8ykd · 02-05-2013, 21:05

I use an E60bx at work occasionally (not in a LE environment) and one concern of mine would be the field of view being too narrow, another would be the ability to apply an artificial color pallet to the image. grey scale is ok, but i personally much prefer the colorized pallets to bring out an immediately recognizable contrast in temperature, including low variances in temp.

the kids love it when i show them hand prints on the wall w/heat

BlackPaladin · 02-06-2013, 03:07

I would like a FLIR riflescope if or when they ever hit 2k.

x_out86 · 02-06-2013, 08:01

We had a FLIR camera at my former agency that got a lot of use. It worked really well if you knew how to use all the features.

Really impressed me the first time that I played with it. I took it to the darkest place I could find at the office (the bathroom with lights off). Its so sensitive that you can could actually see your own IR reflection if you pointed it at the toilet stall door or wall. Pretty cool stuff...

We got our for free off a grant. Keep your ears and eyes open for those opportunities, they are still out there, but much more rare than they used to be.

RyanNREMTP · 02-06-2013, 08:15

We have one at my department. It comes in handy since we have a large rural area with a lot of wooded areas. We get called out to assist the local SO and the Parks and Wildlife at the State Park. Works great but half the time officers forget to grab it.

i8547 · 02-06-2013, 16:27

Our patrol units routinely use handheld FLIRs as well as mobile truck and helicopter mounted ones. They are worth their weight in gold and in coal. I say that because like an earlier poster alluded to, they are only as good as the operator.

In the right hands, you can unleash war upon anyone attempting to flee. But in the wrong hands you'll be chasing ghosts or constantly hearing "Nah, I don't see anything..."

**OfficerSurvival** · 02-06-2013, 18:05

We got to go out to the range one night during SHOT and play with FLIR's new optics (Hey it's a terrible gig, but somebody has to do it

). I didn't get to play with the Scout, but I did get a chance to use the Recon M18. Game changer. It was amazing how much it lit up the desert and the clarity it provided. Crystal clear out several miles with easy definition up to 500 yards and a huge field of view. Of course, it can't be had for less than $8500.

//Jake

DaBigBR · 02-06-2013, 20:23

We have used the fire department's thermal imaging in a pinch with very limited success. Sometimes you just have to do a little leg work to figure out what technology is alreay available to you.

Roadkill_751 · 02-07-2013, 07:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaBigBR

We have used the fire department's thermal imaging in a pinch with very limited success. Sometimes you just have to do a little leg work to figure out what technology is alreay available to you.

Before our agency got some off a grant, I also used the fire department's on a crash scene. If you can't see skid or yaw marks in the road and if you get the thermal imaging out you can see the where the tire locked and skidded on the roadway (heat generated by the friction).

Also, I used it on a crash when one of the occupants was witnessed running away from the scene into the woods. Our K-9 couldn't find the subject, but I took the FLIR and hit the woods and found him curled up in a fetal position. The subject was lucky he was found, as he had a lacerated liver, busted pancreas, and some other internal injuries.

Like someone mentioned above, it is only as good as the operator. On a manhunt in the woods during the night it is a game changer, plus it can find crap that the perp dropped in the woods or even the good guy's stuff.

VPD4327 · 02-07-2013, 13:02

Yeah, it would be an awesome tool. Too much money to sneak by the wife at once

...I'd probably have to build the funds over the course of a year or two...

VPD4327 · 02-07-2013, 13:07

The thing that sucks about it is that hardly anyone stocks these items...really makes it hard to drop the coin on something that you can't fiddle with beforehand. I understand the market is small so it may not be prudent for a lot of places to stock-it's just makes it hard to pull the trigger.

***RWBlue*** · 02-07-2013, 13:49

If I had unlimited funds...

AN/PSQ-20 DSNVG

Dual Sensor Night Vision Goggle

***Cochese*** · 02-07-2013, 14:38

I have a vehicle mounted Raytheon unit and handhelds.

We have quite a few finds with both. I've been known to drive around "on instruments" at night for a challenge.

:D

BlackPaladin · 02-07-2013, 19:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by VPD4327

The thing that sucks about it is that hardly anyone stocks these items...really makes it hard to drop the coin on something that you can't fiddle with beforehand. I understand the market is small so it may not be prudent for a lot of places to stock-it's just makes it hard to pull the trigger.

Shot Show, go next year, bring the wife with.

Moravia · 02-08-2013, 08:28

If the price came down a little I would consider getting one for duty use (I love gadgets and the like anyway). Only problem is half of our patrol cars don't have doors that lock so I would be really hesitant to leave $4000+ piece of equipment in an unsecured vehicle. Doesn't happen often but it is not unheard of for an Officer to leave their vehicle in a foot chase and come back to find their duty bag missing. I would be PISSED if my duty bag had my personally purchased FLIR and the whole thing was stolen by some on looking POS

Does seem like it would be good for tracking guns and what not that were thrown.

BlackPaladin · 02-10-2013, 00:09

I may be interested in a future Flir, going to wait and watch the prices.

I just bought a PVS7 NVG to put in my squad, not cheap, but hopefully worth it.

Fallout · 02-10-2013, 19:53

Flir is an awesome tool for night time patrol. We had several which mounted on the spot light of the car. The display was run to our laptops. Anytime I rolled up on an alarm, or disturbance I would scan the property before exiting the car. Another neat trick I learned was using it to scan parking lots. You could easily pick out the vehicles which had been recently driven. Caught a burglar one night doing this.

We had lower end units only real drawbacks were they would not zoom and there was about a second of delay between real time and what was being displayed.

faceplant · 02-10-2013, 22:40

Oh crap. Now you guys are gonna be getting us outta bed to use our TICs. Might not be a bad idea for a supervisor car. Gonna play with one tomorrow to see how it works in your jobs.

BlisteringSilence · 02-11-2013, 00:23

A neighboring agency had some sort of a FLIR unit installed on top of his pillar light. I don't know what brand or anything, but it displayed on a 10" screen mounted in the car.

I really want one. He said they were able to get like 4 of them off a grant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWBlue

If I had unlimited funds...

AN/PSQ-20 DSNVG

Dual Sensor Night Vision Goggle

Yeah, me too.

How about an -11?

https://www.dispositionservices.dla....leso/nvg.shtml

***RWBlue*** · 02-11-2013, 14:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlisteringSilence

How about an -11?

https://www.dispositionservices.dla....leso/nvg.shtml

I think it depends on what you are trying to see.

As I understand it, those are NV. They are a spotlight when you can not use a spot light.

The great thing about Thermal is it shows things like someone lying in the bushes passed out. Where as the NV will just show you the bush. And a spot light will show you the bush.

The bad thing about thermal is if someone is sitting inside a car, all you see is the glass. You can not see them, but they can see you. BUT, if there are 20 cars in the parking lot you can tell which one has been running recently.

AN/PSQ-20 DSNVG combines NV and Thermal and leaves one eye to use without looking through the device. Use it at a car wreck to look for someone that was tossed out and unconscious. Add a NV laser to your gun and you have an advantage if you are trying to hunt someone down.