Jeremy Ratliff
Editor
“I came up with the idea after an incident involving one of my co-workers,” explains local sheriff’s deputy Logan Lange, of his inspiration to design and market the Sheepdog Life Line device.
As most product innovators would agree, coming to terms with a final name for a new product is one of the biggest challenges. As the six-year law enforcement veteran further explains, after debating over several ideas, he ultimately decided on the unique name based upon a commonly understood analogy in the law enforcement profession.
“We as law enforcement officers are responsible for protecting the public, just as a sheepdog is responsible for protecting a herd of sheep. And our microphones are basically our lifeline. They are what we rely on to communicate from wherever we may be at a given time, with our dispatchers and fellow officers. In the event an officer is unable to access their microphone, that can be a very dangerous situation.”
Such a scenario Lange alludes to, occurred last spring when local law enforcement responded to an altercation in progress. While responding to the incident, one of the responding deputies became involved in a physical altercation, during which the deputy’s microphone became detached from the carrier vest the deputy was wearing.
Had it not been for other officers assisting on-scene, the scenario could have become potentially life threatening.
Lange’s solution was to design a lightweight device; entailing a rubber Sheepdog Life Line emblem approximately the size of a quarter, with an attached band made of paracord-a durable, elastic material first employed by the US military as a replacement for nylon- to secure a law enforcement officer’s microphone.
The device is applied by slipping the paracord band over the base of the microphone (as pictured below),
Then stretch the cord through the webbing of the carrier vest-which is designed for microphone attachment- and then finally slipping the cord over the rubber Sheepdog Life Line emblem.
The end result is a snug, secure fastener to help assure a law enforcement officer’s microphone will remain intact and accessible at all times.
Lange emphasizes the Sheepdog Life Line device is designed specifically for carrier vests, such as those designed and marketed by Bonners Ferry, ID-based Richard Cowell Tactical. The device can also be used for securing body cameras on carrier vests.
Since production began in May, Lange has single-handedly designed 100 Sheepdog Life Line devices, 30 have been sold to law enforcement officers throughout the state of Wisconsin. Those numbers may soon change, given a recent partnership between Sheepdog Life Line and Cowell Tactical, to further market the device.
“It’s not about making a profit,” Lange adds.
“The sole reason I created Sheepdog Life Line is to do my part in promoting the safety and well-being of other law enforcement officers.”
For more information on Sheepdog Life Line, visit Sheepdog Life Line on Facebook or email [email protected].