Collection: Security Vehicle Lights: Amber LED Light Bars, Mini Bars and Strobes

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A security vehicle has to do something a patrol car never does: be seen and recognized as security without being mistaken for police. The color rules are what make that work, and they are the first thing to get right. Amber is legal on working vehicles in all 50 states and is the standard private patrol color. Amber and white adds a scene and intersection element. Amber and blue is permitted on security and campus vehicles in a handful of states and is a citation in most. Red and blue is reserved for authorized emergency vehicles everywhere, and a security company that runs it is impersonating one. Black Oak builds security lighting on the same Low Pro and XDR platform as its police and fire lines, so a contract fleet gets Class 1 hardware in the color it is allowed to run. The 30 inch Low Pro is the standard patrol SUV and sedan bar, the 43 inch covers a full-size SUV, and the 17 inch and 11 inch mini bars on magnetic feet cover a contract vehicle that goes back to stock at the end of the shift. The Low Pro is certified to SAE J845 and SAE J595 Class 1 and sealed to IP69K. Designed and engineered in Sarasota, Florida.

What a security light actually has to do

Three things, and they are not the same as a police light's job. On a campus or a parking structure at night, the light is a deterrent: it has to be visible from the far end of a lot so the vehicle reads as present before anyone can tell what is written on the door. At a gate or a traffic post, the light is a directional signal: the 3-mode traffic advisor on the rear of a Low Pro (left, right, center-out) moves a queue of cars without a flashlight. On a foot patrol stop or an escort, the light is a scene light: the 360 degree white Halo on the bar, switchable front, back, left or right, lights the area around the vehicle for the guard and the camera. A cheap amber beacon does the first job and none of the others, which is why a contract patrol vehicle runs a bar.

Standard security patrol package

One 30 or 43 inch Low Pro in amber or amber and white on door jamb or magnetic mount, two XDR-5 heads in the grille and two on the rear deck for the car pulling out of a space in front of or behind the patrol unit, and an XDR-4 beacon on the roof of a parking enforcement cart or gate vehicle that does not need a bar. The 30 inch draws 20 amps at full output on 12 volts and the 43 inch 27, and each head adds 1.5 amps on its own 5 amp fuse. Every 30 inch and larger bar ships with its controller, a 9 foot power lead, a 12 foot controller lead and the feet for the mount selected at checkout; a favorite pattern programmed into the controller comes back every shift, so a vehicle that changes drivers runs the same pattern every night.

Magnetic or permanent

Most security fleets are leased or move between contracts, which makes the mount decision easy. Magnetic feet on the 11 to 43 inch bars hold at road speed on a clean steel roof and leave nothing behind when the vehicle goes back to the leasing company. Door jamb brackets anchor in the door channel with no roof drilling for a company-owned patrol unit that will keep its bar. Headache rack brackets cover a pickup. Pick the mount on the product page.

Who may run amber and blue

Blue is a law enforcement color in most states, and a security vehicle running it is a citation in most of them. A few states permit amber and blue on private security and campus vehicles with a permit, and some site contracts and campuses specify it. Confirm the state code and the client's site rules before ordering; the amber warning light laws by state guide lists every state. When in doubt, the answer is amber and white, which is legal everywhere and reads as security everywhere.

Complete the vehicle

Security lighting is one part of Black Oak warning lights under emergency lighting, alongside beacon lights, mini light bars and emergency strobe lights. Security companies and campus fleets get volume pricing, mixed configurations on one order and installer referrals: call 1-800-348-1287 or request fleet pricing. Backed by a limited lifetime warranty, see each product page for details.

Can a security guard vehicle have a light bar?

Yes, in amber, in every state. The restrictions are on blue and on red and blue, which are reserved for law enforcement and authorized emergency vehicles.

Magnetic or permanent mount for a contract patrol vehicle?

Magnetic for a vehicle that changes contracts or returns to a leasing company; door jamb brackets for a company-owned patrol unit.

Does the bar need to be SAE certified for security use?

No state requires it for security vehicles, but Class 1 certification is what a client's risk manager asks for on a site contract, and it is the difference between a bar that reads across a lot at noon and one that does not.