Law enforcement attire (?)

[amboy49]

I have recently taken notice of the apparent general uniform requirements for law enforcement - regardless of organization. Local, county, state, etc. What now seems to be standard issue is: shirt, pants, military style jump boots, protective vest, radio, firearm, taser, handcuffs, minimum two magazines, baton, and. . . . . . . . . . . whatever else I’m may be missing. Every duty officer seems to now present to the public as SWAT ready. Especially fascinating is the low slung handgun arrangement giving them the Marshall Dillon fast draw appearance (?). Is this purely a functional thing or are there so many items on their duty belt they need to move the handgun down to accommodate it ?

I am not suggesting law enforcement adopt the Andy of Mayberry uniform of the day. And . . . . . .certainly the attitude of the general public that law enforcement has to deal with on a daily basis isn’t the same as it was 10, so, or 30 years ago. Since the War on Drugs is still not won ( or even progress seen ) and unruly citizens seem to prevail in ever greater numbers, perhaps law enforcement is actually under equipped ?

 

[joe138]

The trend is toward outer carriers for the body armor. This allows for some of the weight from the belt from equipment to be moved to the vest. This helps with lower back issues. It also allows for the vest to be removed easier while at the station to cool down. It does present a tactical appearance. Some agencies have guidelines as to what can be carried on the external carrier.

Boots are another area that help improve health for officers. The help prevent foot and lower leg injuries.

I hope this helps explain what you are seeing.

 

[Gabriel]

Boots are another area that help improve health for officers. The help prevent foot and lower leg injuries.

I hardly see anyone wearing leather heavy duty boots anymore. Most of us are wearing light hiking boots (like Salmon forces) or running shoes. They make more sense for what we do most of the time.

 

[Gabriel]

I have recently taken notice of the apparent general uniform requirements for law enforcement - regardless of organization. Local, county, state, etc. What now seems to be standard issue is: shirt, pants, military style jump boots, protective vest, radio, firearm, taser, handcuffs, minimum two magazines, baton, and. . . . . . . . . . . whatever else I’m may be missing. Every duty officer seems to now present to the public as SWAT ready. Especially fascinating is the low slung handgun arrangement giving them the Marshall Dillon fast draw appearance (?). Is this purely a functional thing or are there so many items on their duty belt they need to move the handgun down to accommodate it ?

I am not suggesting law enforcement adopt the Andy of Mayberry uniform of the day. And . . . . . .certainly the attitude of the general public that law enforcement has to deal with on a daily basis isn’t the same as it was 10, so, or 30 years ago. Since the War on Drugs is still not won ( or even progress seen ) and unruly citizens seem to prevail in ever greater numbers, perhaps law enforcement is actually under equipped ?

I don't know what you mean by the "low slung" handgun arrangement, but here's my vest and belt (minus some tings that are on chargers right now). Most officers around here are wearing the same Safariland UBL. It's not that low, but it does pull the gun down out of the way of the outer carrier.

 

[Bugzilla]

Reminds me of the US soldier in Viet Nam with their 50#s of necessities against the Viet Cong running around with only the gun.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I'm all for making pants optional.

The low ride holster isn't a fast draw. No retention holster is a fast draw although you can get quick with one with work. Drop holsters have pros and cons. The biggest one to me is easier access while seated. It's also sometimes just to free up real estate on the belt. I wore one working for DynCorp to keep my rifle sling from tangling with my holstered pistol, but otherwise always preferred a more mid ride belt holster.

 

[BigRed]

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

 

[jsx1043]

It’s so funny what people get wrapped around the axle about. Trust me, ain’t none of this stuff fun to wear 20 years in, and thank God the brass has seen fit to change with the times and let us wear more comfortable boots, uniforms, armor and gun belts, AND started listening to biomechanics and human performance specialists.

The overall benefits for modern uniforms exponentially outweigh perceived negatives: lower cost overall, better performance, happier, healthier and more effective officers, and more room to carry all the crap that we have to because we have eight jobs all wrapped up into one.

Do I like a Class A uniform? You bet your arse. And I look damned good in it too. But they do not work for today’s ACTIVE law enforcement professional. There’s a reason why the BRASS wear them.

 

[amboy49]

Here’s the pic that got me thinking.

Also, I’m not in to tats, but is this some type of tribal thing ? Take off the uniform and put on a vest with some colors and it’s about the same affect as your local chapter MC ?

BTW, this pic was from a Facebook page showing a local officer being pictured as a result of his promotion to major.

 

[KokomoDave]

Lt. Jim Dangle ?

 

[Gabriel]

Here’s the pic that got me thinking.

Also, I’m not in to tats, but is this some type of tribal thing ? Take off the uniform and put on a vest with some colors and it’s about the same affect as your local chapter MC ?

BTW, this pic was from a Facebook page showing a local officer being pictured as a result of his promotion to major.

There is a lot wrong there, but the tattoos aren’t one of them.

 

[Timjoebillybob]

Here’s the pic that got me thinking.

Also, I’m not in to tats, but is this some type of tribal thing ? Take off the uniform and put on a vest with some colors and it’s about the same affect as your local chapter MC ?

BTW, this pic was from a Facebook page showing a local officer being pictured as a result of his promotion to major.

We've got one or two officers on my local force I've seen with drop leg holsters. They are K-9, I'm guessing that having the dog adds some additional gear to the belt.

 

[Ark]

The trend is toward outer carriers for the body armor. This allows for some of the weight from the belt from equipment to be moved to the vest. This helps with lower back issues. It also allows for the vest to be removed easier while at the station to cool down. It does present a tactical appearance. Some agencies have guidelines as to what can be carried on the external carrier.

Boots are another area that help improve health for officers. The help prevent foot and lower leg injuries.

I hope this helps explain what you are seeing.

Yeah it seems like the movement to vests has gotten pretty common. There's simply an upper limit to what you can carry around on your waist all day, and I imagine you get sick of being sealed in your own juices under a 3a concealment vest from sunup to sundown.

Hard enough to keep officers around without adding ortho injuries to the list of problems.

 

[Gabriel]

Yeah it seems like the movement to vests has gotten pretty common. There's simply an upper limit to what you can carry around on your waist all day, and I imagine you get sick of being sealed in your own juices under a 3a concealment vest from sunup to sundown.

The outer carriers don't make a huge difference in that department. You just sweat through more layers before it gets to the armor panels.

 

[VostocK]

Most of us are wearing light hiking boots (like Salmon forces)

Luxury. Back in my day, all we had were the cheap old Original S.W.A.T classics (non-side zip) and we were thankful. And we had to keep 'em shined too !

 

[Ingomike]

It’s so funny what people get wrapped around the axle about.

Stealing this line, but don’t arrest me bro…. LOL

 

[Ingomike]

There’s a reason why the BRASS wear them.

LOL!

 

[Ruger_Ronin]

Here’s the pic that got me thinking.

Also, I’m not in to tats, but is this some type of tribal thing ? Take off the uniform and put on a vest with some colors and it’s about the same affect as your local chapter MC ?

BTW, this pic was from a Facebook page showing a local officer being pictured as a result of his promotion to major.

Wow, that is one of the worst holster setups I've ever seen. The fuddpucker 4000!

 

[Gabriel]

Luxury. Back in my day, all we had were the cheap old Original S.W.A.T classics (non-side zip) and we were thankful. And we had to keep 'em shined too !

It was like that when I started (although we were issued Danners), but we've progressed since then. Plus I work midnights and we pretty much just wear what we want.