Collection: Police Strobe Lights: Red and Blue XDR Surface Mount Strobes

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Police strobe lights are the second layer of a patrol build, and on an unmarked car they are the only layer. The roof bar gives presence at distance; strobe heads give coverage at the angles the bar cannot reach, which are the dangerous ones: the grille and push bumper at an intersection where cross traffic sees the nose of the car and not the roof, the mirrors on a traffic stop, the rear deck and plate for the driver already too close behind you for a roof bar to matter. Black Oak makes two heads. The XDR-5 is the primary head, 5-1/8 inches long with six LEDs, for grille, push bumper and rear deck. The XDR-4 is the compact head, 3-7/8 inches with four LEDs, for mirrors, license plate pockets and dash corners where it disappears when off. Both throw a 120 degree pattern, run steady-on plus 13 patterns with memory, sync with each other, take 10 to 30V DC, are sealed to IP69K, and are SAE J595 approved for directional flashing warning lamps. Designed and engineered in Sarasota, Florida.

The standard patrol strobe package

Two XDR-5 in the grille, two on the push bumper, one XDR-4 under each mirror aimed outboard, two XDR-5 on the rear deck or in the taillight housings, and a pair of white XDR-5 heads in the grille as takedown lights. That is eight to ten heads, and each one has a reason. The grille pair is what the cross-street driver sees first. The bumper pair sits lower, at the sightline of a driver in a sedan, and survives a push. The mirror heads cover the side at a stop, where a motorist passing in the next lane sees the door, not the roof. The rear pair covers the approach from behind at taillight height. The white takedowns light the stopped vehicle's interior for the walk-up. Each head mounts with two M4 bolts and a foam pad through a 3/8 inch wire hole, and the 90 degree bracket aims a head mounted on an upright, a bumper face or a dash corner.

Red, blue and the separation rule

Red on the driver side and blue on the passenger side matches the most common state specification and does something useful beyond compliance: it keeps the two colors apart in space, so from a distance the car reads as red and blue instead of a violet smear. Opposing pairs can be set to alternate, which separates them in time as well, and a dual-color head (red and blue on one XDR-5) alternates both colors from the same position. Keep the pattern slow enough to hold a reference point; a fast split pattern on every head turns the whole car into noise. Red and blue strobes are reserved for authorized emergency vehicles in all 50 states, and the authorization sits with the agency and the vehicle. The same XDR head in amber is a warning light legal on work vehicles everywhere. Departments that need a third color on the roof take the XDR-48 bar. The police light bar setup guide covers placement and the state table.

Unmarked and undercover

On an unmarked unit the heads are the whole system until a magnetic 17 inch mini bar goes on the roof. The XDR-4 is the head for this: behind the grille slats, inside the plate pocket, in the rear window corners on the 90 degree bracket, all invisible when off. Six heads, two front, two mirror, two rear, cover a sedan; add a magnetic 17 inch for the stop. Wire them to a hidden switch on their own 5 amp fused circuit, not through the bar's controller, so the car can run strobes alone with nothing on the roof.

Wiring and sync with the bar

Each head has a 12 inch 24 AWG open-end pigtail, draws 1.5 amps (XDR-5) or 1.6 amps (XDR-4), and wires to a switch through a 5 amp fuse; a ten-head package is about 16 amps and needs its own fused feed from the battery. Heads on one circuit flash in unison or alternate in pairs, and they share the pattern family with the Low Pro light bar, so a full patrol build runs as one system. There is no harness or controller in the box; the heads are built to wire into whatever switch panel the car already has.

Complete the patrol build

Strobes finish a vehicle that starts with a police light bar, or stand alone on an unmarked unit with a magnetic mini bar. Police strobe lights are one part of Black Oak police lights under emergency lighting, alongside all emergency strobe lights. Departments get volume pricing, SAE documentation and installer referrals: call 1-800-348-1287 or request fleet pricing. Backed by a limited lifetime warranty, see each product page for details.

How many strobe heads does a patrol car need?

Eight to ten is the standard package: two grille, two push bumper, two mirror, two rear deck, plus two white takedown heads. An unmarked sedan runs six.

Do the strobes sync with the light bar?

Yes. XDR heads and Low Pro bars share the same pattern family and can be wired to flash in sync or alternate.

Can I hide them on an unmarked car?

Yes. The XDR-4 fits behind a grille, in a license plate pocket or on a dash corner with the 90 degree bracket and disappears when off.

Which head goes where?

XDR-5 for the grille, push bumper and rear deck, where there is room and the job is reach. XDR-4 under the mirrors, in the plate pocket and on the dash, where the job is a head nobody notices until it flashes.