Policy Text
Page 1 of 5 2/07 (Rev 2/19)
Weapon Mounted Lights
The purpose of this General Order i s to establish the requireme nts for weapon mounted
light training, deployment, qualif ications, remediation, and sh all apply to all sworn
officers of the Sacramento Count y Sheriff's Office. This Order does not apply to Level
III Reserve Officers. I. Professional Standards Division Responsibilities
A. The Professional St andards Division/Ran ge shall administer t he Handgun
Tactical Light Training Progr am. The Commander, or his/her des ignee,
shall also establish a standard fo r the acceptable level of pro ficiency in
the use of the handgun and rifle m ounted tactical lights, and d etermine
the type and extent of training to be conducted.
II. Authorized Handgun and Rifle Tactical Lights
A. The Rangemaster will retain a list of approved tactical ligh ts for handgun
and rifle use. The Rangemaster may amend the list with the app roval of
Executive Staff.
III. Handgun Tactical Light Proficiency
A. Policy
1. All officers of the Sacramento Sheriff's Office choosing to carry a
handgun tactical light shall ei ther attend and successfully com plete
the departmentally approved co urse, or have successfully
completed a course in Weapon M ounted Lights in the Sacramento
Sheriff’s Basic Recruit Ac ademy prior to deployment.
2. Officers shall demonstrate pr oficiency with the handgun tact ical
light in accordance with procedur es set forth in General Order 2/02
(Firearms Training an d Qualification).
B. Consequences of noncompliance
1. Division Commanders shall not ify officers found to be in
noncompliance with ha ndgun tactical light training requirements , in
writing, that they are no longer authorized to carry a handgun
Page 2 of 5 2/07 (Rev 2/19) tactical light on-duty or off-dut y utilizing the Notice of Susp ension of
Authority to Carry a Weapon Mo unted Light (Appendix A).
IV. Rifle Mounted Tactical Light Proficiency
A. Policy
1. All officers of the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office choosing to carry an
issued rifle and/or a personally owned rifle with a weapon moun ted
light shall obtain approval from the Rangemaster before deployi ng
it for duty use. Once the Rangem aster approves the light and
mounting system, the Authorized Duty Firearms Form must be
filled out and signed by Range staff.
2. Officers shall demonstrate prof iciency with the rifle weapon
tactical light in accordance with procedures set forth in Gener al
Order 2/02 (Firearms Train ing and Qualification).
B. Consequences of noncompliance
1. Division Commanders shall not ify officers found to be in
noncompliance with the rifle mounted light requirements, in
writing, that they are no longer a uthorized to carry a rifle mo unted
light on-duty or off- duty utilizing the Notice of Suspension of
Authority to Carry a Weapon Mo unted Light (Appendix A).
V. Deployment
A. Policy
1. Weapon mounted tactical lights a fford an officer a tactical
advantage when engaged in dim-li ght high risk enforcement
activities. The weapon mounted ta ctical light shall be conside red
part of the weapon system. While the weapon mounted tactical
light affords an officer a tact ical advantage, it shall not be
considered as a replacemen t for a handheld flashlight.
2. Weapon mounted tactical lights shall not be used simply as a
source of light. At no time sha ll an officer point their weapo n
mounted tactical light at a pers on simply as a means of illumin ating
them in a situation that does not warrant the presentation of t hat
level of force.
3. Officers shall have the light s ecurely attached to the respe ctive
weapon system at all ti mes while on duty.
4. Pressure switches for handgun ta ctical lights are not author ized.
Page 3 of 5 2/07 (Rev 2/19) 5. Pressure switches for rifle m ounted tactical lights are auth orized,
but must be securely mounted on ei ther the forend of the rifle or
upon a grip attached to the forend.
6. Officers shall not use the w eapon mounted tactical light for :
a. Searching for evidence b. Filling out report forms c. Directing traffic d. Field sobriety tests e. Any other instance not justi fied by Department policy or by
law to display your firearm
5. Any unauthorized use of the weapon mounted tactical light c ould
result in the suspension of the officer’s authority to carry a weapon
mounted tactical light.
Appendices: Appendix A, Notice of Suspension of Authority to Carry a Weapo n
Mounted Light
Related Orders: G.O. 2/02, Firearms Training & Qualification
G.O. 2/03, Firearms Training and Qualification Special Weapon
Training
G.O. 2/05, Use of Firearms
Page 4 of 5 2/07 (Rev 2/19) COUNTY OF SACRAMENTO
Inter-Department Correspondence
Date:___________
To: __________________ _________________________
Officers Name and Division From: __________________ _________________________
Division Commander and Division
Subject: NOTICE OF SUSPENSION T O CARRY A WEAPON MOUNTED LIGHT
I have been notified by the Professional Standards Division tha t during the most recently
completed qualification