HIGH-big
FLIR H-Series Bi-Ocular.
One of the good things about being a “long-in-the-tooth” cop is having the perspective of time, and seeing technical advances helping us better perform our jobs. Night and thermal vision products lead the way in the “things helping us most” category. Possibly the leading manufacturer of thermal vision systems, FLIR has a unit specifically designed for law enforcement: the H-Series Bi-Ocular.
Thermal imaging detects temperature differences and heat radiation. It allows you to see in pitch black, through smoke, light fog and even light foliage. This technology has progressed from large, bulky, liquid-cooled systems only the military could afford, to small, light, handheld and reasonably affordable units you can put between the bucket seats of your police car.
The standard version of the H-Series Bi-Ocular has a 320×240 resolution and 2X digital zoom capability. It’s powerful enough to detect a human about 1.25 miles away. An optional version is available with a 640×480 resolution and 4X digital zoom, which can detect a human at 1.5 miles.
Handy Features
Both versions of the H-Series Bi-Ocular can accommodate interchangeable lenses. FLIR makes a 35mm wide angle, 65mm normal and 100mm telephoto lenses. Each is housed in a raised rubber armor sleeve and has a captured lens cap attached. One of the very few handheld units available with the interchangeable lens feature, the H-Series Bi-Ocular affords much greater flexibility in use. Coupled with the zoom feature it gives you more options in how you’d deploy the system.
The H-Series Bi-Ocular also has a slot for an SD card in its undercarriage. You can plug in the SD card and have the capability to do single digital photos or capture video clips of up to 25 seconds in duration. Courts and juries love videos and pictures, while defense attorneys hate them. A button toward the rear of the unit handles this function. You give it a quick momentary push for the single digital photo or hold it down for the video capture mode. Icons in the viewer show you the progress of the video, and momentary freeze of the image tells you the single-frame shot has been successful. Other buttons on the top of the unit control white-hot or black-hot selection and brightness control.
By Dave Douglas
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