PMCI - September 2021

pmcimagazine.com
KIT: ASP RAPTOR DF
LIGHTING IT UP WITH THE ASP RAPTOR DF
Where it all started, Armament Systems and Procedures, commonly known today as ASP by those in the
industry, was founded in 1976 by Kevin Parsons, PhD. Dr. Parsons began his career as a police academy
instructor in firearms and defensive tactics, and later designed use-of-force training systems for major
law enforcement clients across the country. His training focus was on the necessity of systems that were
tactically sound, operationally feasible and legally defensible—and this real-world, street-proven approach
informs the design of ASP products and training programs to this day. - JW
Keeping with the founder’s core purpose
and values, ASP continues to be an industry
leader, providing critical equipment to those
on the front lines. They do this by sticking
to what the company calls ASP DNA—the
stuff it takes for a product to make it in their
world:
• It must be an innovative solution to a
real-world problem—meeting a clear need
in a new way, or improving on an existing solution.
• It must be demonstratively the best in its class.
• It must be unique, and whenever possible, patentable.
In fact, ASP products are covered by some 150 patents.
ASP spends a significant percentage of its revenues on
research and development, design, prototyping, lab testing
and field testing. And they truly believe in and live up to
their motto of “Protecting those who Protect.”
You can find ASP products in various categories of the
protection/law enforcement world, though they are best
known for their expandable batons. You can travel the
country and even the world and you are sure to find officers
calling their baton an “ASP”, even on the off chance that they
are carrying a different brand. Though others have tried, ASP
remains synonymous with the term “baton” in the
field. This just goes to show the level of reach and quality of
the products they produce.
The other categories in which you can find quality
ASP products are handcuffs/restraints, OC (pepper spray),
training equipment, and of course, what brings us here
today, tactical lighting!
Before we light it up, I also want to share with you another
way that ASP gives back to those who protect. ASP invests
millions of dollars to provide tuition-free training to law
enforcement officers. I mention this as I was a beneficiary of
this training years ago, and I hold an Instructor certification
with ASP in baton, handcuffing and tactical flashlight. As I
write this article, I am using my training, knowledge, and
experience of using ASP products over the years and seeing
the innovation and upgrades firsthand, which I believe will
also add value to you, the reader as I will be giving you an
unfiltered, unbiased review based on this product.
Now the part we have all been waiting for, let’s dive into
this new flashlight called the “Raptor DF” by Armament
Systems and Procedures (ASP).
Firstly, I must thank ASP’s Vice President of Marketing,
Michael Hess, for giving me the opportunity to test and
evaluate this product for this article.
32