Police Magazine Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Fishers Pulse 8X Metal Detector Rated #1 by Homeland Security

JW Fishers Pulse 8X has been rated the best underwater metal detector by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's SAVER program. In a comparison of the eight top underwater detectors on the market, Fishers Pulse 8X was rated number one.

January 5, 2016
Fishers Pulse 8X Metal Detector Rated #1 by Homeland Security

New Mexico State Police use the Pulse 8x to search for a gun in shallow water of the Rio Grande. Photo: JW Fishers

4 min to read


JW Fishers Pulse 8X has been rated the best underwater metal detector by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's SAVER program. The System Assessment and Validation for Emergency Responders (SAVER) program was established to assist emergency responders making procurement decisions. Located within the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, the SAVER Program conducts objective assessments and validations on commercial equipment and systems and provides those results along with other relevant equipment information to the emergency responder community. In a comparison of the eight top underwater detectors on the market, Fishers Pulse 8X was rated number one.

The tools law enforcement agencies use to investigate crimes and ensure public safety are critical to their success. Police departments and sheriff's offices around the country are adding underwater metal detectors to ensure their dive teams have the right equipment to effectively do their job. An essential tool for locating evidence disposed of in a waterway, metal detectors routinely assist public safety divers in finding weapons, shell casings, stolen objects, and explosive devices.

Ad Loading...

One agency having great success with the underwater metal detector is the New Mexico State Police. The NMSP Search and Recovery Dive Team was established in 1963 in response to increasing demands for law enforcement divers to respond to drownings and underwater recovery of property and evidence. The team currently consists of 19 officers stationed throughout the state. Although most people think of New Mexico as a desert state, within its borders are numerous recreational waterways as well as thousands of miles of irrigation and drainage canals.

Recently the team was called out to find a weapon used in a homicide and thrown into the Rio Grande River. Dive team member Sgt. Ryan Carr reported, "We used three of our Pulse 8X detectors in the search that day, and located the gun in less than an hour." NMSP retired captain and former dive team commander Mike Waring said, "If we're looking for a weapon, we know the Pulse 8X will find it."

Underwater metal detectors are so effective, and their use has become so widespread, that agencies training public safety divers are developing courses on how to best utilize these devices. One is the Underwater Crime Scene Investigation team at Florida State University. They developed a program that provides advanced training in crime scene investigation for aquatic environments. The focus is on operational techniques and protocols available to the underwater investigator. Students learn how to use a variety of the high tech tools including Fishers Diver Mag magnetometer and Pulse 8X detector to locate weapons and explosive devices.

Other organizations training public safety divers in aquatic crime scene investigation include Dive Rescue International in Colorado and Team Lifeguard Systems in New York. Both offer courses in aquatic preparedness to ensure public safety dive teams respond effectively to water incident scenes. Their instructors combine knowledge of rescue and recovery with experience in the use of state of the equipment. Their field exercises are designed to help teams establish operational standards that ensure sustainable performance. The detectors they use in their evidence recovery training are JW Fishers Pulse 8X.

The Explosive Training Branch of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms also conducts programs for local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. They teach identification and location of explosives, and how to properly handle and dispose of them. With the threat of a terrorist attack on any front, officers need to know how to search for and locate explosives that may be attached to ships, bridges, piers, or other underwater structures. The detector ATF is employing in their program is the Pulse 8X.

Ad Loading...

A few of the many other teams using Fishers detectors are the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) dive teams, the US Navy's Mobile Diving & Salvage Units, US Coast Guard, US Border Patrol, Massachusetts and New York State Police, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Placer County Sheriff's Office and Los Angeles Port Police in CA, North Carolina Justice Academy, Jackson County Dive Unit in WI, Miramar Police in FL, Colorado Springs Fire Department, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Laredo Fire Department and Wichita Falls Police in Texas, New Jersey State Police, National Police Dive Squad in New Zealand, Swedish Coast Guard, Japan's National Police Agency, & Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

For more information on JW Fishers complete line of underwater search equipment go to www.jwfishers.com. To see the SAVER survey on underwater metal detectors go to http://www.firstresponder.gov/SAVER/Documents/UWMD-SUM_0514-508.pdf

More Technology

Officer smiling with an executive
SponsoredMay 19, 2026

How Patrolfinder Uses Data to Make Streets Safer

Law enforcement agencies have long relied on instinct and routine to optimize patrols. Patrolfinder uses data to help agencies see where officers go — and where they don’t — to improve visibility and maximize coverage.

Read More →
Graphic depicting crime prevention, featuring a shadowed hooded figure against a dark city backdrop with police lights and shield imagery. Text reads: “Crime Prevention Through Remote Guarding with Human Intervention.”
Technologyby Wayne ParhamMay 14, 2026

Crime Prevention by Merging Tech with Human Intervention

Elite Interactive Solutions tackles crime prevention with technology and human intervention, working closely with local police to provide insights when a response is needed. The key is to blend the latest in remote video monitoring, artificial intelligence, and a well-trained agent with eyes on the scene.

Read More →
Close-up of a person holding an Axis body-worn camera toward the viewer. The camera is in sharp focus, while the person wearing a dark uniform appears blurred in the background outdoors.
TechnologyMay 7, 2026

Case Study Details Integration of Body-Worn Cameras with CAD

The Billerica Police Department (Massachusetts) improved transparency and accountability, sharpened evidence management, and reduced manual hours by integrating Axis Communications body-worn cameras with its Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Dark map of downtown Chicago displaying three emergency alerts for reported gunfire near Randolph Street, W Harrison Street, and N Columbus Drive. Blue circular markers indicate locations near Union Park, Clark Art Museum, and Jack Academy High School.
TechnologyMay 7, 2026

ZeroEyes Public Safety Alerts Integrates Samdesk for Real-Time Risk Detection and Awareness

ZeroEyes has integrated Samdesk into its Public Safety Alerts platform to deliver faster, verified intelligence to help organizations understand emerging risks and respond quickly.

Read More →
High-angle view of cars with lights turned on crossing the George Washington Bridge at dusk.
TechnologyMay 7, 2026

NJ Police Department Combines Strong Technology & Public Safety Strategy

The Fort Lee Police Department in New Jersey has modernized with Genetec Security Center, including video management, automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), and Clearance digital evidence management.

Read More →
Graphic with image of crime scene investigator and yellow evidence markers and black box covering the persons idenity and headline Automated Redaction.
TechnologyApril 30, 2026

Pimloc & Dynamic Workflow Solutions Partner to Deliver Data Management and Automated Redaction

The joint redaction solution from Pimloc and Dynamic Workflow Solutions helps agencies reduce FOIA response time and compliance risk by automatically redacting faces, license plates, and other sensitive information from digital evidence.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Fans cheer at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium during a football game at The University of Alabama.
TechnologyApril 23, 2026

The University of Alabama Rolls Out Couter-Drone Technology

The University of Alabama is using D-Fend Solutions as a counter-drone technology supplier for campus and game-day airspace security. The University integrates D-Fend’s EnforceAir into its Emergency Operations Center (EOC), utilizing a unified command framework to collaborate with local, state, and federal partners during major events.

Read More →
Man working in front of multiple computer screens.
TechnologyApril 22, 2026

Motorola Solutions Now Part of the Cyber Threat Alliance

Motorola Solutions is now part of the Cyber Threat Alliance, the first formally organized nonprofit group of cybersecurity practitioners that work together in good faith to share threat information and improve global defenses against advanced cyber adversaries.

Read More →
Bar chart showing what police departments spend budget on for security.
TechnologyApril 22, 2026

Genetec 2026 State of Physical Security Report Reveals Public Safety Priorities & Challenges

Survey results from Genetec’s 2026 State of Physical Security Report highlight the demand for integrated systems that improve response times and reduce investigative workload. Nearly nine in 10 respondents said they use security data to help keep officers safe.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Tinted blue background image of traffic with inset images for an ALPR camera, a police dispatcher, and a logo for Flock Safety.
TechnologyApril 16, 2026

Flock Safety Introduces Audit Assistance, Its Latest Trust & Compliance Tool

Audit Assistance is the latest tool in the Flock Trust & Compliance suite, a first-of-its-kind set of products and services that provides communities with guardrails and customization for accountability, transparency, and responsible use of the Flock platform.

Read More →