Page 4 of 4 FirstFirst ... 234
Results 31 to 38 of 38

Thread: Flashlight Stories

  1. #31
    Deadeye Dick Clusterfrack's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Wokelandia
    Mountain Bike Night Ride on Mt. Tam, 199X

    Every Wednesday night, my mountain biking buddies and I rode up from Mill Valley to the top of Mt. Tamalpais to poach illegal trails. Mt. Tam is in Marin County, CA, the homeland of mountain biking, and is the “mountain” that the mountain bike is named after. In the 1990s, the “war" against mountain bikes was raging, and all singletrack trails on Mt. Tam were closed to bikes. Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) Rangers with radar guns were set up at roadblocks on the fire roads and were issuing speeding tickets for riders exceeding a 15mph speed limit. Repeat offenders could have their bikes confiscated. For guys like me who grew up riding anywere we wanted on the mountain, this was totally unacceptable. The really remote trails were fairly safe from the law or angry Audobon society hikers, but night was the best time to enjoy the more well-used trails like “Rock Spring”, “Matt Davis”, “Alice Eastwood”, and “Troop 80”.

    This particular Wednesday, we were riding up Railroad Grade using only moonlight and a couple of dim mini-maglights taped to handlebars. We saved the batteries on our Niteriders or homebrew halogen lights for the singletrack, and also because rangers might see the lights before we were safely on singletrack and riding at high speed.

    As we approached West Point Inn along the fire road, someone lit us up with a flashlight and yelled “Hold it right there! You’re BUSTED! You’re all getting citations.”

    We were maybe 50 feet from the guy, and one of us turned on twin PAR30 halogen lamps strapped on his helmet and revealed a young MMWD ranger squinting into the glare.

    One of the riders said, “Sorry dude, you’ll have to catch us first,” and we turned our bikes toward the Matt Davis trailhead, which descends steeply to the southeast.

    Ranger: “Hold it right there!!! I said stop! Stop! STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW!!!”

    Everyone started laughing, and one guy fell off his bike.

    Biker: “Dude. Did you just say ‘stop in the name of the law’?”

    Ranger: “Yeah... I have a gun...”

    Biker: “Dude, really?”

    The ranger started laughing too, and we rode off down the trail.
    "You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
    Shabbat shalom, motherf***ers! --Mordechai Jefferson Carver

  2. #32
    Banned
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Rocky Mountains
    I also carry a Fenix E12 that I frequently use to illuminate a notebook for a police officer who has both hands full taking notes when I have to call in incidents at work.

    Another night at work, I'm checking a substation behind a Walmart on Platte Avenue (if you're not familiar with Colorado Springs that's a REALLY BAD part of town) at 0200 when a tweaker, on a bicycle, wearing war paint and a bird mask comes riding through the parking area.

    I have no issue with him passing through but there's a 20 foot drop off at the end of the lot. So I light him up,with my UC 35 to stop him before he rides off the edge and he goes NUTS. he comes off the bike screaming and yelling and screams at me "You want to see mine MFer?" While reaching into his pants.

    I'm freaking out because I'm thinking he's going to come up with a weapon and I'm yelling "Get your hands where I can see them!" And praying to God I don't have to shoot this guy when he pulls out one of those 2 AA powered Mag Lights. And shines it at me. OKaaaaay.

    Long story short he calms down and I explain why I stopped him and he tells me his friend is passed out in the street a block away and proceeds on his way (I'm not a cop, I can't detain him and I have no reason to) I go look for the friend but I never find anyone. So I continue my rounds

  3. #33
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Texas
    I can't resist telling those who may be unaware that the first real cop flashlight was the Kel-Lite introduced in 1969. I think that they were made for about 15 years and went through three generations. If memory serves me, I recall that Hi-Standard offered their excellent riot shotgun with one of these attached. Maybe a first? I promise all that besides being a first class light, they were also an excellent club.

  4. #34
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Feb 2014
    Location
    Midwest
    When I came on in the early nineties, the MagLite rechargeable was the choice de-jure. A lot of the older guys still called them “Kels” and for many of us the nickname stuck (though I must admit I don’t recall ever actually seeing a Kel used).

    Nowadays, very few of us left carry a full size light.
    Polite Professional

  5. #35
    Site Supporter jwperry's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Polk County, FL
    I dropped my first Surefire E2D Defender into Lake Kissimmee one night while fishing. I owned that $200 light for about a week. I spent the next 80 minutes trying to fish it back out of the murky water(about 9ft deep where we were) until the rechargeable battery went out. My friends laughed at me the whole time.

  6. #36
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    East Greenwich, RI
    Quote Originally Posted by willie View Post
    I can't resist telling those who may be unaware that the first real cop flashlight was the Kel-Lite introduced in 1969. I think that they were made for about 15 years and went through three generations. If memory serves me, I recall that Hi-Standard offered their excellent riot shotgun with one of these attached. Maybe a first? I promise all that besides being a first class light, they were also an excellent club.

    Former Kel-Lite swinger here. Thinking I bought my first one in 1978.....

  7. #37
    Site Supporter
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Texas
    Flashlights once came with glass lenses. When a lens broke or cracked, the owner then went to hardware or general store to buy a replacement lens. Police officers bought more replacements than anybody else.

  8. #38
    Site Supporter Coyotesfan97's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Phoenix Metro, AZ
    Quote Originally Posted by PD Sgt. View Post
    When I came on in the early nineties, the MagLite rechargeable was the choice de-jure. A lot of the older guys still called them “Kels” and for many of us the nickname stuck (though I must admit I don’t recall ever actually seeing a Kel used).

    Nowadays, very few of us left carry a full size light.
    I never had Kel but I’ve always carried a big flashlight whether it was a Streamlight or a Maglite. I still carry a Maglite LED rechargeable. Not many Officers carry them anymore but they all recognize it as old school.
    Just a dog chauffeur that used to hold the dumb end of the leash.

User Tag List

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •