July 25, 2008 Officers market 'Brite' idea for self-defense Play video

(Peter Howe, NECN: Kingston, MA) - Ask someone who's been there it's not fun to be looking into a high-powered police flashlight.

Now a Kingston, Massachusetts company has a way for you to turn flashlight power into self defense. Brite Strike technologies. President Glen Bushee and another company executive, Jon Neal, are Kingston policemen, both trained for SWAT team. One slow overnight shift, they thought up the design for a better police light.

"The first light was our blue dot that we came up with was the blue dot which we designed from the ground up specifically for the use of police officers Small, high intensity, easy to turn on when your hands are ... Busy"

If you're going out and you happen to have your gun out you really can't be turning and twisting ... You need all those functions right at your fingertip

They created a lower-powered version for civilian self-defense

Glenn's wife Sarah shows how you might use it. With a mugger or would-be rapist, you can stun or daze them for a few crucial seconds. It retails for 80 dollars with an eardrum-hurting buzzer included

Bushee, Neal, and a partner in Malaysia who oversees manufacturing started the company two years ago.

Aome of the other organizations that have bought the police and military versions of the flashlights include the FBI, the DEA and the US Marshals, marine corps units that protect people at embassies abroad, and the Granville Massachusetts police department

The lightning strike has not been endorsed yet by any safety groups, like the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

How does it compare to alternatives? If you're not inclined to get a gun, tasers are often illegal for civilians. It's generally illegal to hit predators before they touch or grab you. And pepper spray and mace require a firearms id.

Lightning strike does nothing more ... Or less ... Than maybe buy you crucial moments in a scary situation.

it's safe, you don't need a permit for this, you don't need a lot of specialized training