Is my Mini mag modded flashlight illegal to ...?

Considering that you could be arrested and convicted of a DUI if you’re sleeping it off in the backseat of your car, which is up on blocks, with keys locked in the glovebox, and all 4 flat tires, and no gas in the tank, and a dead battery to boot, I’d be leery of any semblance of “common sense” being used in (mis)applying the law anywhere.

Flash red’n’blue at your own peril.

I’ve been in a car/ van that someone had placed a colored beacon up on the dash . Same lights cops or fireman use but the color in that state meant it was cop . It wasn’t on and he was using it at a flea market to get attention and left it up on the dash . The cop who pulled him over for “ Something else “gave him a rash of **it about it . My friend a little unstrung ,started giving the cop a bunch of crap back... and then suddenly he used those three magic little words ....My brothers a cop .. ok 4 ..... I thought they were going to kiss and buy a house together. The cop apologized , my friend still laying it on him . I don’t think having a fictitious brother impersonating a police officer is illegal. It’s gotta be better than trying to be Billy obedient. If you go in front of a judge you can get philosophical and ask ...Am I my brothers keeper? “Who then is my brother ...Aren’t we all tied together commonly as a brotherhood of man .?

I like the greater question .. who the hell would want this mode anyway .. I just want a nice alpine beacon

Our security folks used red OR blue strobes to guide first responders to the best entrance to the scene of whatever emergency they were dealing with at the time. I know it sounds odd but the city shared emergency services with the neighboring cities and as a result the responding crews weren’t always familiar with all of our buildings. The security guard would be sent to the appropriate entry point and would hail the first responders with their lights. It was obvious the first time we tried it that it helped hasten the response because the company had a dozen buildings along a few blocks and the first responders were checking each one as they drove down the street. Once they were hailed by security they increased speed almost immediately.

So, did they ever get that house?

I wondered why buildings in a complex, industrial park, etc., never had strobes by the entrance, which could be flicked on by security personnel. Slow strobe (1pps or so) like when a fire drill happens, etc.

Ages ago on my block, few if any houses would have front lights on at night, and it was customary that if someone ordered a pizza or was just generally expecting someone, you’d flick on the front light to guide him in.

Nowadays that doesn’t work so well, as almost a quarter of the houses keep those lights on at night, and some of Those have those 5000W halogen monstrosities in their alleys that go on and off seemingly at random all damned night long.

Still, the general theory holds.

Right, I see the utility of strobing red OR blue in those cases. But why red/blue? I don’t see any reason other than to look like police lights? Therefore a useless feature that could get one in trouble?

So does the Jetbeam TCR-10. Its actually pretty cool, shine it on a wall in a dark room and it looks just like you have been pulled over.
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I think your allowed to have a police strobe just not turned on in a automobile.
They would have to argue you had the tool to impersonate a cop with the intent to use it as such.
A carpenter would have burgular tools in his possesion but that doesn’t make him a burgular.
In the wrong place at the wrong time with questionable tools might not turn out good though.
Just my thoughts, might be best to check your state laws like has been mentioned.

And even old Nitecore SRT5 i have does the same blinking mode. Even advertised like that.

So OP, carry on. Do what makes you happy building lights. Even big names do this.

just do not try to pull someone over with this light, or use it in traffic, and you should be ok, i see some stores have red\blue flashers in their window displays. those colors are not limited to police, firefighters and emt use them as well, including volunteers.

if you had yellow\white strobe it would be very useful\legal in a road emergency,

Going by your location being Croatia you are subjected to different laws in another country…. the OP is in the United States which have stricter laws and very grey areas for such things. Sure building such lights is fine but the OP already mentioned “INTENT” on using it where he questioned the possibility of being crossing the line and being in trouble with the law.

So again don’t just give bad advice without taking into account of local ordinances of other countries besides your own.

Something quite opposite happened in NL a time ago. A person stepped into the police station to report a situation, but the oficer was not inclined to follow up on that. Then the older brother steps in and says something like “why don’t you, I’m a police officer”. He was, but he could (or would) not show an ID to prove that. Then one thing led to another, ending in the officer being arrested. But he gave his colleagues a hard time by resisting. So this pissing contest ended in a holding cell for one of them.
The ending? Not too well for both parties, though their respective superiors stepped in for them.
So now there is a lawsuit where the short fused officer with a (now) criminal record is playing the ethnic profiling card.

Back to OP: if the law says you can’t, then don’t.

One thing I haven’t seen mentioned, is no police officer I ever seen in my life uses a red/blue flashlight. Unless you had such a flashlight mounted on a vehicle it’s not an impersonation of an officer, very simple. The Chinese websites sell these now as another user stated, If they were that dangerous and ilegal to use,customs wouldn’t allow it in, in mass amounts.

That being said you definitely could impersonate a police officer like I said if you had it mounted to a car or some type of vehicle or bike even. You could also impersonate a police officer with nothing, just saying you are an officer when your not basically.

No one is going to be arrested for impersonating an officer with a flashlight for personal use, and if they are I bet they’re be a heck of a lawsuit after for false arrest.

Yep, like many said, if you use it in a car, to get thru traffic, or to do something a cop would do, expect an arrest. I build few lights that have this red/blue strobe. (17mm multicolor driver) I have few friends who are cops, they told me not to use in a way a cop would use. cops hate it when someone impersonates them, they will most likely arrest you and impound your car. thou possession of such light is not illegal, at least for now.
I use that driver to make a yellow/white strobe, in case I have to change a tire at night, I would put that light on a roof of my car, this combination will not get you in troubles, but blue and red definitely will.

My friend is cop and I give seeknite s11 to him and he use sometimes it on job and he says that it is interesting and practical keychain toy-flashlight.
It have red and blue strobe and it is not against law to have that but if You use it to simulate that You are policeman then You can have a big problem!
I saw kids when go home from school on night, that they have red strobe lights on their school bags, so drivers can easier see them when walk on roads or try to cross it.

I have a red/blue D2 and there’s no way I’d ever use it while inside a car. That’s just asking for trouble.

It also has a few modded strobe modes that do interesting things.

Where did you get the driver for this mod? Maybe you can post a link?

I’m pretty sure it’s just the stock D2 2-ch driver with modded firmware.

Thanks alpg88 for your reply and the link! :+1:

I’m always impressed by the number of things prohibited in the Land Of The Free, like 20 years olds who can’t order a drink but can be sent to Southern Fakzatistan to kill a few peasants before getting blown to shreds, or a guy criminally smoking a Cuban cigar while sipping Russian vodka, or having to worry about the color of one’s flashlight… :grin: