West Penn Township police officers will be equipped with new safety devices.

The board of supervisors unanimously approved the purchase of “Guardian Angel” police lights at Monday’s meeting.

“It came to light at a public meeting that visibility was a factor regarding officers, firefighters and towing companies,” said James Bonner, West Penn Police chief.

“With that, I’ve agreed with the concerns, and I’ve done some research. … This Guardian Angel turned out to be the best thing that I found.”

The device can mount in a few different positions on an officer’s vest.

“In the front, it can be steady white light,” said Kai Appel, West Penn officer.

“And instead of holding a flashlight with one hand, you have your hands free to be able to do whatever you need to do, while still having that steady white light.”

The hands-free flashlight component is critical, but the device offers additional features to heighten officer safety.

It’s a plus for working alongside a dark road, for example, while traffic flies by.

“It’s protection along the major highways,” said Supervisor Glenn Hummel. “They can illuminate the red and blue blinking lights off their shoulders, while also shining the flashlight simultaneously.”

The cost is $100 per device. But the purchase will be covered via donation by a township resident.

Bonner said he would request five of them, but Prudenti recommended the purchase of seven. The board approved.

“An officer gets lost in the woods, or a building, there is an S.O.S. feature too,” Bonner added.

The department hopes to bring on some more personnel soon.

“I would like to have 11 officers - we’re at eight now,” Bonner said.

“We don’t have a staffing problem; we are back at full strength. But having extra officers allows us to do other things.”