I wear the optional cargo pants, I don't think they look as nice but the extra pockets definately help. And they are more durable than the regular duty pants. I once met a vacationing officer from California who thought I was in ESU because I was wearing Tac pants. When I said I was just a patrol grunt he was in awe that we could wear those pants for patrol. I was in awe that his department let him ride his dept. motorcycle cross country (I think he was part of a 9-11 memorial ride, I didn't ask too many questions).

Modernizing uniforms for function and practicality is ok by me. But some of these commando uniforms are rediculous. That picture of the Chicago cops looks like Lego people....especially compared to those squared away NYPD guys.

Despite my limited time in the sheriff's office, I quickly decided that 5.11 pants were a much better approved option than the issue pants. They lasted longer, had all kinds of nifty pockets to store extra stuff (i.e. the **** you carry in your pocket when it's not blocked by a duty holster), and if you were raised like me, looked just fine with a fresh press and starch job done the night before.
Now onto another opinon,
The chicago PD just proved it's uselessness as an organization with that picture. My inept hometown PD, god bless 'em, looks very professional and much more squared away than these "big city" chicago officers

My uniform trousers are a dark Navy blue, two pockets in the back two on the front and a sap pocket on the side. My shirt is white with epaulets and both are always pressed along with my black shoes that are shined. I do use nylon gear it is much lighter and easier on the back.

We do use ball caps or you can use the tropper style and my winter hat is blue with ear flaps never used that one.

My hair is gray now and the mustache is gone and bifocals replaced any sunglasses I wear.

I did sit on interview panels about 2 weeks ago and I swear they must be graduating from college at 13 0r 14 nowadays, I felt old getting called Sir all day. But it was nice to see a lot of former Marines and Soldiers mixed in as interviewees.

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Stan

Enough said.

I'll do the comments...New York's Finest...Chicago's Sloppiest.

The Washington State Patrol and the New Jersey State Police consistently get high marks for their uniforms and I personally like them both, as I do many other department uniforms. I can always tell the quality of the department and the officer by how he or she carries themselves, speaks and wears the uniform. I still hate to see discolored, ragged or "polished" clothing, brown leather that used to be black, tears in pockets and shoes that belong in a thrift store. I have no problem with special uniforms as long as they're uniform and well maintained and worn for special projects. Any officer that can't look sharp and stay sharp has no respect for himself, his superiors, his department and for you...his employer. I flew in on a protection detail years ago and saw an officer who looked absolutely terrible...overstuffed, tie loose on an unbuttoned collar, short pants, etc. He was immediately moved to an obscure post during the event. There's no excuse for sloppiness. If you can't be crisp and clean when you start your shift you don't belong in my unit. We don't need Ninja cops such as we see on TV. The Nomex face masks are fine for entry teams, UC protection, etc. Now I'll be quiet.

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Term limits!

I agree with the sheriff on this, but one thing to consider when we ponder why street officers are report takers instead of bandit catchers is because we force it on them. These days every traffic stop requires paperwork, whether you write a ticket or not. Every call requires a incident report, whether you do anything or not. Every contact with a subject or suspect requires a contact report whether you need to or not. It's all about gathering data for statistical reports so we can show what a good job we're doing, when we're not. Many young cops shun having a conversation with people when they stop to put gas in their patrol car because they may have to fill out a report . . . it's rediculous how all justification paperwork makes us so unproductive.

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- Change it back -

Man, you nailed that one. My guys have to spend more time entering business and neighborhood checks into the computer to "prove" they did it than it takes to roll through and make the check. I'm always at odds with the Dist. Lt. who wants a report on every "domestic" we roll on, regardless of whether a crime was committed or not. Nothing but C.Y.A. paperwork. I tell my people that we don't waste time writing reports on non-criminal garbage, and a simple argument between married people is just that, an argument. Do a report when we arrest someone for beating their wife, not to explain that we didn't arrest because no crime occurred. Treat your officers/deputies like children and they'll act like children. Treat them like professionals and they'll do decent police work.

As times change, needs change. My department went to BDU style uniforms 3 years ago and amen that they did. They are wash & wear, easy to press if needed, and much cooler and more comfortable than the polyester/wool blend we used to wear. As for form vs function there's no comparison. More pockets, less hassle and look more "ready to roll". Plus the old poly's would literally ignite & melt to your skin if a spark from a flare got within 2 feet.

The BDU's and "Bat Utility Belt" may not look like business attire, but cops aren't businessmen. We get dirty and deal with dirty people all day long. And where I work police certainly aren't treated with respect or decency regardless of what uniform they wear. I work in a Metropolitan area...high crime, high welfare, low-income suburbs, low expectations.

I recall when I was growing up that the mere mention of a police officer and everybody behaved, shut-up and did what they were instructed to do. Now-a-days we show up and get smirks, sneers, back talk, and absolutely no respect. If I had it my way we'd all wear & carry our M4's, MP5's, Tac-Gear and Level III Body Armor all the time.

To me it's not the uniform, but how you carry yourself at the scene that matters. I can treat somebody with respect regardless of whether I'm in a business suit or riot gear. Just my $0.02.

"To me it's not the uniform, but how you carry yourself at the scene that matters. I can treat somebody with respect regardless of whether I'm in a business suit or riot gear." from Sabre 66

I agree with that statement way more than I can express. I personally don't care for ball caps, but I can see how practical they can be (and my agency wears a resemblance of the overseas service style hat). I also think that any uniform can be maintained, as well as any gun belt and rig. My last comment is that I have seen a rise in departments allowing facial hair in excess of a mustache......I think that looks poor.

Reports are now about more than just CYA. Unfortunately they're also about budget. When the administration can point to stats that show they responded to "x" amount of calls more than last fiscal year, they can justify their budgets at a time when everyone is demanding we do more with less. We may not like it, but that's the way it is. Computers and technology are touted as allowing us to do more work. Unfortunately, the reality is that they allow us to do the same amount of work (or less) with fewer employees.....

Our department was strict about uniforms through the '80's; hat, tie, shined shoes, etc. Everyone was "uniform" and looked like a cop. Then the "trend" towards "specialization" began in the '90's with School Resource Officers (SRO) and "Special Operations". These new "divisions" sometimes got specialized uniforms as these officers were sometimes on bike patrol. And if they arrived on a patrol call with regular uniformed patrol officers there were a mix of uniforms at the same call! Lord, which one is the real police officer?

Us old timers (31 years this year) called the new breed Generation X-ers and blame them for this new uniform trend. I never thought of whining in my early days, I was happy if the dinosaurs would grunt a hello back to me. Now whining is standard and I suppose it has worn down some top administrators. If SRO and special Ops can have uniform XYZ, why can't we? As a result there are about 10 different uniform variations that are all approved. 10 officers can show up on a call with 10 different uniforms!

I have been in the detective bureau for the past six years and have not worked a uniformed job since then. But, I still maintain a uniform and a few weeks ago another Lieutenant getting ready to retire soon was in a jam and needed someone to fill in at a street event he was assigned to. I volunteered to work it and got my old uniform together, white shirt with military crease, uniform pants, shined shoes, 8 point hat and cowhide leather gunbelt. OK, the pants were a little snug. But I don't think the pants are what seemd to get the attention of the public. Compared to the other officers I worked with - who were in everything from shorts to polo shirts and ball caps - I looked like a Navy Admiral. And the public responded well as I did not look like a SWAT wanna-be. If anyone wondered who was in charge, all they had to do was look.

I made fun of the Gen X breed, but many if not all are are dedicated, hard workers. A minority has caused old timers like me to question their work ethic, but regardless of their uniform I know who I can count on. Trends in LE evolve, like revolver to auto, shotgun to patrol rifle, ASP, OC, Taser...etc. The uniforms are part of that trend, being driven by a tactical mindset. But, I still don't like the look of those cargo pants with the pockets bulging with stuff! Dinosaurs, it has been proven, are unable to evolve!

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Tony

While a perfectly tailored, pressed, pleated uniform looks great I still prefer comfort over polish. Maybe because being an LEO is my second career path after doing the suit/tie thing for 7-8 yrs (yuck).

Having worked for 2 depts I can say that each had different expectations for its officers. With my curent department I do think that supervisors (Sgt, Lt, Capt, Chief, etc) should be in a more dressy, tailored type uniform since they supervise only and don't police. With the other dept even the supervisors were required to get "dirty", so we all wore similar uniforms.

Those of us in patrol tend to be a jack of all trades these days. Foot beat, traffic direction, on-scene Forensics, mountain climber, track star, community speaker, etc. From personal experience (before we switched uniforms) I split the seems in my old dress uniforms on several occassions just going hands-on with somebody. These new ones hold up much better, and black stays cleaner than white or tan...LOL.

As for facial hair, I truly don't understand the whole "porn-stache" requirement. A well groomed goatee or fu-manchu looks much better IMHO. I used to wear a fu-manchu in the business world and when I became a cop I had to shave it. Now I just grow my "stache" at holidays to annoy the wife, who says it looks ridiculous (not meant to offend any of ya'll with a "stache"). Plus as another poster mentioned "I can spot a cop a mile away" and with the short hair, mustache look it's not too hard to deduce what we do for a living.

Times change, styles change, but in the cop-world...change is bad

As usual, these threads bring out the cop bashers. I generally don't respond but...

There are some really good comments on this thread and some really ignorant ones, too. I've got a shoulder that will never be the same from going "hands on" one too many times before the advent of Tasers. (BTW, "Rambo Cops" are the ones whose phallic issues make them enjoy fighting, IMO) I've been in scores of physical altercations over the almost 15 years I've been doing this but it's always nice to hear from those who haven't. Tasers aren't perfect but they save a lot of injuries to both officers and suspects.

As far as uniforms, I wear clarino leather gear no matter what the weight does to my back, my choice. I wear brass and shined boots, my choice. I even wear my hat on occasion. Our department doesn't allow ball caps, polo shirts or shorts.

I wish I was this articulate and wise. Thank you, sir.

Our 60 patrol/traffic officers took over 80,000 calls last year. That number was 40,000 in the mid 90's. Nice theory but there's more to it than that.

We are no longer allowed to wear balaclavas during NFDD deployments or any other SWAT engagement unless it is extremely cold because of PC.

All I gotta say is I'm glad I put my time in when I did.

Class A's (at first tans with no patches then dark blues with patches), smooth black Sam Browns (real leather), one cuff case, two speed loaders, one night stick ring for "Old Painless" (straight 26" hickory, still have it in the safe) and one key ring for all your keys (including the chrome plated traffic signal box key). We had Tasers back then (your fists) and pants with slap pockets stitched into them.(we used them for what God intended for). No handy talkies, K-9's, 870's were in the trunk, no helicopters or light bars on cars.

If you could spell the word marijuana, owe more than $200 on your J.C. Penny credit card or were living in "sin" with your girlfriend, you didn't get hired. You only had to tell somebody to do something only once because they knew if they didn't do it, they were going to jail.

If you wanted to be in charge, you had to look like you were in charge! High & tight on the hair, mustache no longer than the edge of your mouth, no sideburns and a clean daily shave. Your uniform was clean & pressed, shoes highly polished and your "gig line" better be squared away or your Sgt. would let you know about it.

No female officers on patrol. When we arrested a female or juvenile after day watch hours, the DL at the Watch Commanders Office called in a female "Matron" that sat with the juvenile or female during the interview / booking process.

I got nothing against the newer cops on the job. Allot has changed, I admit mostly for the good. I got no problem with that. But again, I'm glad I put my time in on the streets in the big city when I did.

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S&WCA # 2045

I am not a LEO, but have a few comments on uniforms, as I wear one daily for the USPS. I never understood neck ties on someone who might get into a scuffle. Even a clip-on tie could be wrapped around someone's neck and used to choke them. Shiny patent leather type shoes with slick soles might look nice while in formation but seemed useless on the street. Officers need to stay on their feet, and that requires traction. I would think a hat with a brim would come in useful on sunny days, I have no problem with baseball type caps. These hats are also relatively cheap for a uniform piece. They can be a PR item at times, I have given away several over the last twenty three years.

I can't understand why a badge costs $100.00+ though.

That was probably the biggest reason my agency issued silver stars instead of gold to everyone under the rank of capt.

That old 8 point hat with a big old metal badge on the front was a pretty good weapon on it's own.

Judiciously applied to a miscreant's forehead made for a good distraction and you had him in a hammer lock and on the ground before he knew what hit him.

I saw it work in the same way in a face to face shooting situation. Officer nonchalantly reached up to the bill, threw the thing at him, and drew and fired while the bad guy was ducking the hat.

A non LEO's observations: Cheers to you guys like Dave and sheriffoconee. I wish I had men like you influence me when I was a boy. I heard that my Great grandfather was like you, but that was way before I came along. I couldn't agree more on your assessment of a situation like Columbine. Damn the risks and SOP, kids are being shot, get in there! Here in Texas, I've never seen a sloppy DPS Trooper. Sloppiness is a disease of our culture. My dad wore a tie every day to his civil service job. Now guys go there in t-shirts. Now, many guys won't even wear a tie to church or a funeral. Hey, buy a shirt that fits! No wonder NYC has so much crime, all the cops are protecting Bloombutt from guns in Virginia.

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Wayne
Torn & Frayed

don't panic it's called evolution/not revolution , been serving & prtecting since 1978.

yeah ... what I stated would represent more of a maintainable tactic than the more offensive tactic needed to get it back to something maintainable.
dissolve the gangs and we all win

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it just needs more voltage

This is a great thread. I worked in a very hot humid city. I wore a dark uniform shirt with department patches on both sleves. Leather pistol belt, leather holster, uniform dress shoes (eventually we could wear soft shoes if they were polished) we had to wear dark socks and uniform pants with a stripe down the leg. we wore real metal badges. We did not have to wear a uniform hat and our visor hats were eventually phased out, then....guys started wearing baseball caps. I hate that look. I hate the military look, short pants, and I especially hate white socks.....I cant stand these cop uniforms today. They all look like a bunch of gang bangers. The air of authority for "tactical" dress. Sorry you look like Nazi storm troopers and Ski masks...come into my house with your dark ninga dress and ski mask and Ill shoot you because I think your a damn home invader....The idea is not to terrorize the citizens...Its to be identifiable as a law enforcement officer. We can forego the ties, and no hat is better than a baseball cap, soft shoes are fine as long as they are polished, and if you worked for me and came in with white socks I'd write you up......my two cents worth!!!!

I am with you!
I can tell now, we had this experience in Toronto. Got of a plane at 3 in the morning, entering an airport bus at 4 in the morning (freaking Air Canada flight was delayed because of technical difficulties for 6+ hours) so after spending many hours sitting in a plane (on the ground!) we finally boarded a bus, next station guys looking like terrorists, black combat uniforms, ski masks, automatic weapons, the word "Police" nowhere visible on the uniform, entered the bus. Everybody in the bus was shocked when they came in. My kids were upset, too.
They were just looking into the bus, going in and out since there was no one else on the move at this time, but that show made the day, so to say.
I think this "Dressed To Kill Tactical Look" doesn't scare the bad guys, it is just to intimidate the average citizen, and the guys wearing this stuff walked around like Rambo on a mission ...

Hiya Jimmy. Don't really know you, but I want to give my best wishes, prayers and hopes for your procedure. By now, I'm sure it's over, so let us know how you're doing, please.

As far as your question/frustration, let me say, I'm not sure I'm an "older" LEO, though the new guys in my dept. would surely say I am! :-) I started at the Sheriff's Dept. in 1989, and we wore the "Class A" style uniform with shined shoes, dress pants, uniform shirt, brass polished, and a uniform had w/ shined hat-badge. Nowadays, that is still technically the uniform for patrol and crime prevention, but it's rather toned-down. Shined brass and hats are only worn by the Honor Guard anymore. Most patrol guys don't polish their badges anymore, and it looks rather sad... But, only the K-9 unit and tactical team have gotten the BDUs, etc., that you were pointing out.

Still, I've seen what you're talking about, especially with the short hair-cuts, etc. I think there are several aspects at work that I will point out:

1. Times have changed. Just like in the 70s guys wore lamb-chops and long hair, and in the 80s everyone had a mustache, today the style is clean-shaven and short hair. It's no different than customary style-changes throughout society that happen every 10-25 years. And, just wait awhile, and the old styles will come around again...

2. Some of it is the tactical situation changing. We've gotten more and more incidents of high-powered shootings (like with real assault rifles and the semi-auto-only versions of them - Miami shoot-out, LA bank robbers, inner-city street gangs, etc.), and the more common situations like fighting on the ground, foot chases, etc., have shown that:
A) tactical clothing is cheaper to replace than the older-style dress clothing, and
B) tactical clothing is better set up for these situations (try running, climbing, jumping, rolling, etc. in the older dress uniforms and shoes compared to the looser BDU-style clothing and boots).

3. Some of it is marketing and/or psychology. When the tactical teams were allowed to wear that stuff, the grunts in patrol division wanted it too. So, 5.11 and other companies started marketing to that, successfully, I might add.

So, yes, the times they are a-changing, but how we dress isn't really the issue. It's the mind-set that is worrisome to me. I have to work really hard to un-engrain the us-vs-them attitude in the department. I have to constantly remind them that we live in the community we police and to treat people accordingly. Likewise, we have to remember that this is America, and we have to police ourselves correctly, keeping in mind that we're not THAT special. Part of the problem is that we don't hold ourselves and each other to the same standard as the other citizens, and that's wrong. I'm not so worried about what we wear as what's in our younger officers' heads.

better still .... Ill cite a modern day textbook example of a police force in touch with their surroundings.
Omaha Nebraska's Old Market district.
I highly recommend it to anyone LEO or civilian. Its hard not to fall in love with the place but heres the situation .....
its beset on two sides by gang held turf with a sort of DMZ range of about 5 blocks around it.
It represents what must be the most premium turf in the whole city of Omaha for gangs and businesses alike. A thug could go on a mugging spree for a weekend and retire for the amount of profit to be made from the shakedowns.
The Gangs DO NOT hold this turf ... The police ... on horseback mind you hold the old market district ... period.
Being a mounted equestrian patrol, they hear everything, see everything and smell everything if it comes to that.
Again, no gang has successfully taken the old market district.
I've spoken to a few of them. While they are literally upon a high horse , their attitudes are at sidewalk level. They are good people. They are willing to help. They are happy in their duties. They are Johnny on the spot when their duties call

so please do tell me why it wouldn't work today when I can plainly show you that it in fact does

Want to see it for yourself ... PM me ... I'll gleefully show you around the place ... bring the family, they'll love it.

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it just needs more voltage

Times have changed so much from when I worked as a LEO. I worked hard to keep from putting people in jail if I could.

I stopped guy a 1/4 of a mile from his house for DUI. He begged "Could I just let him drive home to his house?" I said "NO" I told him I would let him walk home and he could get his truck in the morning or he could go to jail.

He opted to walk. Somehow, I just knew he would come back, and he did. He got in the truck and started it. I turned on the lights. He shut it off and walked back to my car.

He said, "OK, Smoky, I blew it. I'm under arrest." He and I told the Justice of the Peace what had happened. The Judge fined him the max $100.00 and gave him 5 days in jail to be served on weekends so he could keep his job. I was pleased with the outcome.

A month later I went and picked up his suspended driver's license. He lost it for 30 days. He arranged a ride to work while his license was suspended. He never violated that suspension.

His wife didn't have a driver's license. Once a week for that month, while off duty, I would go pick her up in my Patrol car and take her the 2 miles to town to get groceries.

I made some friends for me, and for LE. 40 years later, I still get a Christmas card from them every year.

You wouldn't dare do that today, but I feel a lot better about that incident than I do about the many people that I had to put in the " iron bar hotel."

The highest award I ever received while in Law Enforcement was when a local citizen would introduce me to someone as "Our Highway Patrolman."

The visuals this invokes just makes me chuckle.
Thank you for your service .... and coming from me, that's a hard earned prize

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it just needs more voltage

I got a kick out of your post iggy. I never was a leo but did over 35 years as a guard for lockheed and elsewhere. Your post reminded me of a incident many years ago. I was cruiseing around our plant gates one night at midnight just before swing shift got off. I spotted my house keepers car by the gate. I got out and talked with her for awhile, she was waiting to take her boy friend home. Now, I knew this chick for about 5 years as she was a neighbor and had cleaned my house since she was 13. The shift came out and a good fight was developeing just outside the gate. I got in between them and as I slightly knew one, I focused on the other who I never seen. "Alright guy, give me your badge!" " I dont work here, I was laying for that AH!" I kind of bluffed and said BS, I seen ya walk out! (I hadnt. Both already were bleeding and he had a good busted nose.) With that he motioned to dianes car, and said I threw it in that car before we fought! I took both aside and said look, if I turn this in, ya both are history here. I am gonna give ya both a break,-- do yer fighting off the property!
The next day, on my day off, I got called in by our security manager and had to do some tall and creative explaining!

I never stated anything to the contrary. Nice town, Omaha. One example of community oriented policing in action. I'm intimately familiar with the concept and have ample training in the area. The post that you quoted was in response to your statement about a foot patrol being effective, unless I missed your point. My point was: we don't have time for that. Proactive patrol for my department especially during the summer means adding officers or cut services. Resources are not infinite.

I usually don't get into these back and forths but I wanted to clear up the confusion. The last word is yours, sir.

then my last word's (3) will be a constructive suggestion that any police officer with a pulse would love .....
Mustang Convertible Cruisers

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it just needs more voltage

Crime is generally kept down in tourist areas and downtown business districts or trendy commercial areas by lots of cops in a small area. That's not being in touch with the community, that's protecting the paying customers at the expense of the neighborhoods. And they do it in big cities all over the place. 2 minute response time downtown, two hour response time in the hood.

We sound like our old sergeants back when we were rookies. And a little like our fathers. Times change. Fashions change. The kids I supervise are almost all good cops. We still wear Class A's, but we do have small cargo pockets on the trousers. They are very handy. John

You force me to break my word by saying:

Well played, sir...well played.

Enidpd804
Being from Enid. I totally understand and being a retired civilian with no fear of job consequences. I can even go into why.

It'd be nice if the High Schools around here had a freshman year course entitled..."When to Call the Police and When Not To." Where they taught youngsters what actually constitutes "Harassment" and about a dozen other minor offences that the assistant city DA won't even bother to show up in court to prosecute.

I like to blame unrealistic court reality television like Judge Judy. It's what passes for an understanding of the law now days.

It's sad that most of this increase in calls for service are generated over about 50 or so individuals who's little bizarre Judge Judy dramas. keep the Local PD going to the same addresses 4 and 5 times a week, Because they know that their low level threats, fighting and just general disturbance B.S. isn't going to result in an arrest 98% of the time.

It's not a general increase in crime. Crime has not doubled in Enid. It's allowing the 50 most uneducated borderline criminal acting morons in town access to cell phones.

On the whole EPD uses more common sense about this stuff than a lot of places but it still doubles the calls for service and pulls police man hours away from actual violent or property crimes. Your average EPD officer barely has time to write up the real crimes for all the B.S. calls he or she has to write up in the course of a shift.

If EPD does have a single minor flaw...It would be that a small segment of it's officers are living in denial regarding the growing gang problem in Enid. Referring to growing signs of Juvi gang activity as simple "Want to Be's".

Not that there's much that can be done with Juvi Offenders in Oklahoma now days, because a series of law suits closed most of the juvi lock ups in the state and cut juvi offender lock up bed space by 2/3's. Leaving unsupervised probation as the only option in most cases short of Murder. Arresting Juvi's doesn't make much sense if they are convicted, sentenced to house arrest, they're Single Mom goes to work and they're out destroying property or engaging in violent mayhem again twenty minutes later.

This isn't cop bashing...It just mean I understand some of the problems that plague a modern police dept of EPD's size.

Hi:
Good news from the Medical Guys- I good for another 100 miles if I pay my medical bills up to date?
While I was down in the Sunshine State attending a Family Medical Emergency that ended in a Funeral, I stopped by my Agency to do my yearly range qualification. New Officers are wearing sandal type shoes with no socks, shorts, and white knit shirts. The older Officers had the "Newbies" introduce theirselves and assure "Old Sarge" that They were really "Cops". Real Funny! Of course over coffee the "War Stories" of how "Old Sarge" handled certain calls.
Also was asked to return to duty. "Thank you but I don't think I would do well in the "New" style uniforms."
Hopefully will be back in "God's Country" soon.
Jimmy

Perhaps the changes in police fashion are really a reflection of the changes in society. When I started in police work we had a winter uniform with long sleeves and a tie and for summer an open collar and short sleeves. Detectives wore jackets and ties and it was considered a point of personal pride to keep your weapon concealed. When we got out of the patrol car we put on our hats...the old Smokey the Bear kind that eventually reshapes your head. A lot of the guys were veterans and knew how to wear a uniform. There was a friendly competition to see who had the best spit shine and woe to the officer who showed up at roll call still tucking things in or without his leather shined. We wouldn't have been caught dead wearing shorts while working a patrol car. Of course, we also had a lot of cops suffer heat exhaustion, heat strokes and heart attacks.

I finally left law enforcement in April when age and heart trouble caught up with me. I still wore a tie and spit shined. When I was younger everybody wore suits, sport coats and ties. My wife jokes that we were married before she saw me without at least a tie. But that was expected in every business and office. Nurses wore white starched uniforms with caps, doctors wore long lab coats and ties, bankers were pinstripe suits and surgical scrubs were only seen in surgery, worn by surgeons. My son was recently told to dress down because his dress shirts and ties were intimidating people. (He did a hitch in the Marines.)

That all said, I'm also seeing a new breed of officer coming on the beat. Many have served in the military and seen combat. Their hair is in a buzz cut or old-fashioned flat top, their boots and shoes shined (although generally not spit shined) and they know more about their job than I did. They're in better shape, healthier and sometimes more confident. I saw one the other day who was wearing navy blue BDUs, starched and with creases sharp enough to cut. And he knew how to say "yes, sir" and "no, sir." If I hadn't been sitting down I would have fallen down. But, don't ask them to hand write a report or do without the spell checker.

I don't like the BDUs, baseball caps, and shorts. In my day one of the ways you could tell a good from a poor cop was whether they patrolled with the windows down so they could see, smell and hear what was going on. The first time I was shot at I heard and smelled it first. I see too many with the windows up, air condititioners on and the radio blasting obnoxious music so loud they can't possibly hear the dispatcher. When I first hit the streests one of the first things an old officer would do was get into a fight to see how you'd handle yourself. Mine came the second night on duty and it was a doozy. We scaped the hood of a car with his front teeth. Perhaps something other than brute force would have been better. We also had a lot of officers with minor injuries from all those fights. At the end of a hard Saturday night we looked like the walking wounded. If a Taser avoids injuries, then it can't be all bad. What's troubling is that Taser is taking the place of communications skills. The kids just don't know how to talk to people from widely divergent backgrounds. They don't distinguish very well between reality and reality shows.

I was raised by a father who had a mantra: "Look sharp. Be sharp." I thought then it was true and still do, but the changes are a sign of the times. Baseball caps became fashionable. At least they wear them with the bill in front.

But I wonder who's at fault here? The officer or the officers responsible for training them, instilling knowledge about the culture and traditions and bringing them up right by setting the example and explaining what's expected of them to do the job and to wear the badge with honor and integrity.

Well, that's my two cents worth. I'm just an old cop with arthricity knees, bad back and can't run without wheezing, so take it for what it's worth and that might not be much. Oh, just for the record I finally gave up my military-style flattop in May. After my last shift I still stopped to put a spit shine on the boots. If I could, I'd still hit the streets. I was never prouder in my life than at the pinning ceremony. I swore to uphold the law, my department and my fellow officers. I never let them down and I'm proud of it. Now, excuse me while I go search for the Kleenex.

Good Morning, JC4013:
You sound like the kind of "COP" that I would choose to go though a dark doorway or down a dark alley with.
Thank you for sharing and "Protecting and Serving".
Jimmy

JC4013:
+1 on driving around with the window down. I could never understand coppers driving around with all the windows completely up, even the driver's window. Why would you intentionally isolate yourself like that? I think it is an important signal about an officer's attitude and mindset. Even on the hottest and muggiest days, the front windows are completely down, with the A/C on. (Used to be the back windows, too, but the wraparound plexiglass prisoner screens negate any real airflow or hearing from there!) And, on the bitterest cold days, the front windows are at least 1/4-1/2 way down, with the heat cranked up.

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LEO since 1981.

Thanks Jimmy, especially from a Coastie. I've been associated with the Naval Institute for twenty years. I'm curious? What did the "older officers" have to say about the new fashions?

jc

Smith:
As mentioned earlier, the first time I was shot at I was in a car with my sergeant. We heard what sounded like and we thought was a backfire, untl we smelled the cordite. Then things got real interesting. Still haven 't gotten a Christmas card from that fella. My heart's broken. Personally, I think the guy was after the Sarge.

My Pa-Paw got Christmas cards from Angola and Leavenworth for years and years from the guys he sent there. He never advocated violence or brute force for the sake of being a bully, but he also never let a rookie (or his son, or his grandsons) keep talking after the point of no return. If someone needed an attitude adjustment, he had no shame in going Bufford Pusser style with an old axe handle.

Been reading all of your comments. I have to say something. I know the temps are up this summer but it was hot in the 70's also. I still like to see the officers in the old regular dress uniforms. I saw a local lady officer the other day on a traffic stop. Shorts white socks and skinny white legs.... Yeah times have changed look at the way people dress for church these days. Wrinkled shorts and shirts an flip flops. They say its OK. Lots of people look at me sorta like I have pink hair. I still wear a dress type shirt dress pants are dress jeans and a straw are felt hat. Hat depends on the time of year. Yeah, I'm 65......... Do you former LEO's still dream about the times we had and the calls that you can still remember.............Like Bob Hope said,, Thanks for the memories...........

this is one of the thread greats.
minimal bashing. minimal beheadings and a good exchange in between.

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it just needs more voltage

Hi, JC4013:
The "Older Officers" remarked "Never on Sergeant Jimmy's Watch"
Jimmy

I gotta agree! I've been in LE for bout 14 years, by no means considered an old timer but the younger officers have no respect for the uniform, chain of command, etc! They don't "like" to wear certain items that are not "comfy" or "tactical" enough! They are too quick to gripe when they haven't been around long enough to even have an opinion!!!! No discipline!

I can't say how things used to be where I work since when I started in 2004 they were phasing out the nicer uniforms and went to sewn on badges and generic patches. The BDU pants were nice for me because I kept extra gloves on hand which in the jail you could never have enough. I am not a huge fan of the "tactical" end of law enforcement but the nylon is cheaper and because of that the nicer stuff went by the wayside. I remember when my father was a cop in the 80's the nice shiny holster, belt, shoes and the wide brim stetson. Now its all nylon and dull looks. I see alot of places going to over the uniform vests that look like flak jackets too.

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Vaya con Dios

I think a lot of this non sense started when "TACTICAL" became chic!

I'm not a cop, but I believe it goes back farther than that. I know it was the first time I ever saw a backward ballcap... :barf: