Let me start by saying this is one of the most common questions I get from public safety agencies, fleet managers, and even curious civilians when they visit our booth at trade shows or message our team after seeing our lights on patrol. As someone who’s been in the police light supply business for over a decade—walking the line between hands-on testing in our workshop and talking to officers who rely on these lights every shift—I don’t just answer this question with a checkbox. I answer it with years of real-world experience, data from rigorous testing, and a clear breakdown of what makes a police light actually hold up when it’s submerged in water. Police Light
First, let’s get one thing straight: not all police lights are waterproof. That might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many budget vendors skip critical engineering steps to cut costs, and how many mislabel their lights to make a quick sale. Over the years, I’ve seen patrol car light bars stop working after a single heavy rainstorm, dash lights short out during a high-speed chase through a puddle, and grille lights fail entirely after an officer accidentally drives through a flooded underpass. Those aren’t rare one-off issues—they’re preventable problems that come from ignoring basic water resistance standards.
So what makes a police light waterproof, versus just water-resistant? The difference comes down to ingress protection (IP) ratings, and that’s where I like to start when educating clients. For the uninitiated, an IP rating is two numbers: the first rates protection against solid particles like dust, dirt, or road grime, and the second rates protection against liquids. For police lights, we’re almost always talking about the second number—because these lights aren’t just exposed to light rain; they’re hit with road spray, deep puddles, high-pressure car washes, and even full submersion if an officer drives through a flooded area to rescue someone or respond to an accident.
A rating of IP67 is the bare minimum I’ll recommend for any police light we supply. Let me explain what that means: the “6” means the light is completely dust-tight—no tiny dirt particles can get inside, which is critical for lights that get caked in road grime over shifts. The “7” is the key part for water: it means the light can withstand being submerged in up to 1 meter (about 3 feet) of fresh water for up to 30 minutes without any damage or loss of function. That’s standard for most light bars, grille lights, and dash lights we sell. But if you’re looking for lights that might face more extreme conditions—like officers working in flood-prone areas, or lights mounted on off-road patrol vehicles—we go a step higher to IP68, which means they can be fully submerged in water deeper than 1 meter for extended periods, sometimes hours at a time.
Now, I want to be clear: even with IP ratings, there’s more to waterproofing a police light than just slapping a label on it. We’ve seen cheap lights that claim IP67 but fail after a single trip through a drive-thru car wash because their seals are made of inferior rubber that hardens and cracks after a few months of exposure to highway heat and cold. That’s why every light we send out goes through in-house testing before it leaves our warehouse. Last month, for example, we had a batch of new grille lights that passed our first basic submersion test, but failed a second test where we ran water through them at high pressure—simulating a car wash—because a small rubber o-ring had a tiny flaw in the molding. We sent the entire batch back to our manufacturer to be reworked, because there’s no way I’d let a light that even has a remote chance of failing on an officer’s vehicle hit the road.
I also talk to officers about the difference between waterproof and water-resistant in the field, because that’s where they feel the impact. Last year, I got a call from a sergeant in a small town that floods every spring. He’d bought a set of cheap water-resistant lights for their three patrol cars, and after a heavy rainstorm that left the streets under a foot of water, two of the lights shorted out. The department had to pay to replace them, and they were without working emergency lights for four days—critical time for a small town that relies on those lights for visibility. When they switched to our IP67-rated lights, they didn’t have a single issue the next time the area flooded, even when one officer accidentally backed into a deeper puddle while responding to a call. That’s the kind of real-world outcome that matters more than any spec sheet.
Another common question I get is: what about lights on motorcycles or ATVs? Those have different needs, right? Absolutely. For motorcycle police lights, which are exposed to more road spray and sometimes even splashes from wet roads at high speeds, we still stick to IP67 as a base, because they’re not designed to be fully submerged, but they need to hold up to constant exposure to water and grime. I remember working with a state police motor unit a few years ago that was having issues with their turn signal lights—they’d short out after a few months of riding in rain or slush. We swapped them for our IP67-rated turn signals, and they’ve had zero issues in the three years since. The key there was not just the seal, but the way the light’s internal wiring is routed—we use waterproof heat-shrink tubing and sealed connections, so even if a little moisture gets in, it can’t reach the circuit boards.
Wait, but what about older lights? I get that a lot too. A lot of departments have legacy light bars that are 10 or 15 years old, and officers wonder if those are waterproof. Typically, older light bars from reputable manufacturers do have some water resistance, but they rarely hit IP67 or higher. They might withstand a heavy rain, but submersion, high-pressure car washes, or constant exposure to road spray will take a toll on their seals over time. I always advise departments that are replacing legacy lights to go for IP67 minimum, not just because it’s more reliable, but because it meets current national standards for public safety vehicles.
I also want to address a myth that I hear all the time: that if a light is bright, it has to sacrifice waterproofing. That’s nonsense. Modern LED technology has made it possible to build bright, energy-efficient lights that are just as durable as they are bright. The lights we supply use high-quality LEDs that are sealed inside a polycarbonate lens (way more durable than glass, by the way, which cracks easily in accidents or from road debris) and have stainless steel mounting hardware that doesn’t rust, even when exposed to salt on roads in winter. That combination—sealed electronics, durable lens, rust-proof hardware—makes them not just waterproof, but built to last for years, even in harsh conditions.
Now, let’s talk about what happens if a light isn’t waterproof. It’s not just a minor inconvenience. A light that fails because of water can put officers and the public at risk. If a patrol car’s light bar is out, other drivers might not see it during an emergency stop, leading to more accidents. If a dash light or grille light fails, officers might not be visible when directing traffic at a crash scene, or when responding to a crisis. I’ve seen firsthand how a cheap, non-waterproof light can have serious consequences, which is why we take every step to ensure the lights we supply are built to withstand whatever comes their way.
At the end of the day, when an agency or officer asks if police lights are waterproof, the answer is yes—if they’re built right. It’s not a vague quality; it’s a standard that should be non-negotiable for any light that’s going to be used in law enforcement. Over our years in this business, we’ve built our reputation on standing behind every light we sell, which is why we offer a warranty that covers water damage for any light that’s installed correctly and used as intended. If one of our lights fails because it’s not waterproof, we replace it—no questions asked.
If you’re a law enforcement agency, fleet manager, or officer looking for reliable, waterproof police lights that will hold up to the demands of your job, we’re here to help. Our team has years of experience working with departments of all sizes, from small local departments to state police and federal agencies, and we can help you find the right lights for your specific needs, whether that’s light bars, grille lights, dash lights, or specialty lights for motorcycles or ATVs. Don’t settle for lights that will fail when you need them most—reach out to our team to discuss your requirements and find the right solution for your department.
Riot Gear References:
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2020). Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: Emergency Vehicle Lighting Requirements.
- International Electrotechnical Commission. (2017). IEC 60529: Degrees of Protection Provided by Enclosures (IP Code).
- Law Enforcement Equipment Testing Consortium. (2022). Annual Report on Emergency Vehicle Lighting Durability and Reliability.
Jiangsu Jiuan Police Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Address: No. 9, Xihuan South Road, Jingjiang City, Jiangsu Province
E-mail: viola@jiuanpolice.cn
WebSite: https://www.japolice.com/
