IPMBA Product Review

C3Sports MaxPatrol-600

by Mo Ibrahim, PCI #1326-B/EMSCI #321-B
Metropolitan (DC) Police Department

As I was waiting at a red light with my left foot down, and right foot in the power pedal position, a car pulled up alongside me.

I looked over to my left, the passenger side window rolled down, and the driver said, “Officer, I saw you from about a mile away, and I thought you were on a motorcycle”.  The light changed from red to green, I began to laugh, and the driver rolled up his window and proceeded to his destination.  This is when I finally fully appreciated the light system by C3Sports.

I primarily work the evening shift, which is often the busiest shift.  You encounter kids coming from school, people in heavy rush hour traffic trying to get home, and later, people enjoying their nights out.  The most important thing for me, as a bike officer, is being visible and seen.  

I want the citizens of Washington, D.C., to know I am out there during my routine patrol, and if they need me, to look for the red and blue lights.

My old light “system” was a single white light and a rear tail light.  Although they were effective, I wanted people to know I am not just another cyclist; I am a Bike Officer.  Patrol cars have LED lights, so why can’t bike cops have the same?

The MaxPatrol-600 is just what every bike officer needs.  It is a great red and blue lighting system.  It comes with easy instructions and illustrations, and the installation is very simple.  It took me about 15 to 20 minutes to install the light system on my bike.  There are a lot of Velcro® straps, and it is easy to secure the wires to the bike frame.

The thing I most love about the MaxPatrol-600 is the easy remote switch feature that lights up the front and rear lights at the same time!  This is mounted on the handlebars, near your grips.  It is perfect for bike cops.  A bike cop can suddenly go from talking to a citizen to responding to a priority radio run.  Having to press one button to light up both the front and rear lights makes it a whole lot easier to respond to a call without having to remember to turn on your rear light.  

With my previous lights, I had to dismount, press a button on the rear light, and then turn on the front light.  I am saving time by not having to dismount to engage my rear light.  There are various flashing light modes, and with each press of the button, the lights get brighter and brighter.

Ninja-mode has never been easier!  If I am in an alley and need to cut my front and rear lights off for a stealth operation, I can easily hit the remote switch on the handlebar, and they turn off immediately.  Again, in the past, I would have to stop and dismount to turn my rear light off before approaching the alley.  This also gives me a tactical advantage, and my head and eyes are always in front of me.  

As I write this review, sunset takes place around 7:30 pm, and my shift ends at 11:00pm.  The MaxPatrol-600’s battery has lasted me six days during my tour of duty, without having to charge it.  If it needed to be charged, the light indicator would let me know.

I strongly recommend this light system to anyone who wants to be visible, especially those who work the evening or midnight hours.  There is no doubt on any citizen’s part that I am in fact a police officer on a bike.  The flashing red and blue make it very easy to distinguish a civilian cyclist from a bike cop.

I am very impressed with the many features this light has to offer.  I know with the MaxPatrol-600, I am as well-lit as the monuments in Washington, D.C.!

Visit http://www.c3sports.com for more information about the MaxPatrol-600.  C3Sports products are available from PoliceBikeStore.com, which offers 5-10% off web pricing to IPMBA members through the IPMBA Product Purchase Program. 

Mo has been on the MPD’s Mountain Bike Tactical Unit for six years, and has used the mountain bike during many operations.  He has patrolled on bike during the day shift, where burglaries were on the rise, and during the evening hours, when robberies and thefts were also increasing.  He has worked the last two Presidential Inaugurations on the bike.  He taught the Bicycle Response Team Training and a Nightlife District Operations and Tactics workshop at the 25th Annual IPMBA Conference in Chandler, Arizona.   He can be reached at Mohamed.ibrahim@dc.gov.

(c) 2015 IPMBA. This review appeared in the Fall 2015 issue of IPMBA News.

Share this post


Leave a comment