January/February 2008

Battle Ready
Police departments across the country are making the switch to battle dress uniforms.
By Andrew Magee

California has been the epicenter for plenty of fashion movements throughout history.

Legend has it that undershirt sales plummeted when Clark Gable appeared sans T-shirt in 1934’s It Happened One Night.

In the late 1970s, women donned masculine-looking suits that mimicked the ones Diane Keaton wore in Annie Hall.

Nowadays, sunglasses cover the entire head – not just the eyes – thanks to The Four Horsewomen of the Apocalypse: Britney, Lindsay, Nicole and Paris.

Not all fashion trends are born – er, concocted – in Hollywood, though. The current movement in the police uniform industry stems from Modesto, CA, where 5.11 Tactical’s SWAT-type gear is finding its way onto rank-and-file bodies in police departments across the country.

“If you were to look back eight years ago, there was a Class A uniform, there was a Battle Dress Uniform (BDU), and there was not too much in between,” says John Crist, central California sales representative for 5.11 Tactical. “That’s really where you’ve seen the offers improve. Now, departments have a Class A for promotions and funerals, and a Class B uniform that has a lot more functionality for the officer. It’s truly a working uniform that allows him to store his gear and run. The pants have cargo pockets for more storage.”

Chiefs around the country worry, Crist says, about making sure that officers look professional on the streets.

“The guys want a BDU-type uniform,” Crist says. “We try to take the best of each type and marry them together so the guys can get the job done and look good doing it.”

'It's truly a working uniform that allows him to store his gear and run.'
- John Crist, 5.11 Tac tical

The Dayton, OH police department recently made the switch.

In Dayton, Officer Creigee Coleman and many of his colleagues were unhappy with their uniforms – traditional light blue shirts with dark blue pants that bore a light blue soutache down the seam of the pants – which had been the department’s standard issue since the 1940s.

“It was a good uniform back when everyone loved the police,” Coleman says. “It wasn’t as much running and gunning as it is now. The uniform wasn’t well-made and it wouldn’t hold up. If you had to go over a fence, you would have crotch blowouts. It wouldn’t hold up to the wear and tear.”

In late 2005, Coleman decided to act. He talked to the SWAT guys, who seemed content with their threads. A sergeant there turned Coleman onto 5.11 Tactical.

“I got a magazine, researched it, and I found the local distributor,” Coleman says. “We wanted more pockets, we wanted to get rid of the brass, and go to dark blue for stealth at night.”

'We wanted more pockets, we wanted to get rid of the brass, and go to dark blue for stealth at night' - Creigee Coleman, Dayton police officer

Coleman then gave his supplier contact – Diane Redden at Lion Apparel – a copy of the department’s badge so that Lion Apparel could produce a full presentation uniform for Coleman to show the chief.

Coleman also submitted a proposal comparing the uniforms both in functionality and price. Money was an issue. While officers receive a monthly uniform stipend, it doesn’t cover all of their uniform costs.

“The old uniform was about $115 for a full set,” Coleman says. “Now, it’s about $87 for two shirts and two pants. We couldn’t beat it.”

The election cycle
Coleman’s campaign convinced the chief to move the process forward by authorizing a wear-test.

“For six months, 14 officers wore the uniform,” Coleman says. “After the wear-test, we had to go through some union hoops. The manufacturer had to keep prices in line for at least two years and have enough of the product in stock.”

The process did get some pushback from some of the union leadership’s old guard, who weren’t crazy about breaking from tradition.

“I wasn’t trying to detract from the history of the uniforms,” Coleman says. “You need more than one uniform. We still have the old one for dress occasions. The difference is that now, when we dress up, we look dressed up. The uniforms aren’t beaten up.”

Once the chief signed off and the manufacturer was approved, the uniform switch was put to a vote by the full union membership in April 2006 at the Captain John C Post Lodge #44 of the Dayton, OH fraternal order of police.

Coleman and the other supporters had reason to be nervous because a ‘yes’ vote meant that each officer was willing to buy his or her new uniform.

“The city wasn’t going to give us uniforms like they did when we came out of the academy,” says Sergeant Judy Abshire, who also supported the switch. “They give you three long-sleeve shirts, three short-sleeve shirts, three pants, and your leather gear when you start. After that, we’re issued a monthly stipend to buy new stuff when our uniform ‘shrinks’, as we like to say.”

Cost notwithstanding, the switch got a mandate.

“I believe it was 207-35, so it was an overwhelming vote,” Coleman says. “It was an overwhelming victory with the sergeants too.”

The sergeants, according to Abshire, had more than comfort and functionality on their mind when they cast their ballot.

“With the old uniforms, sergeants had to wear white and it made you a target showing up at certain sites,” Abshire says. “Now sergeants wear dark blue just like the officers. I like it because I don’t stand out now. The only difference is we wear the chevrons. Plus, there was constantly grime around the cuffs and collar of a white shirt.”

The safety benefits were paramount, but Abshire shared Coleman’s desire for more functional gear.

“All it takes is one good fence to ruin a pair of pants,” she says. “Also, the residual from flares would catch the bottom of the pants and burn little holes in them. I haven’t heard that at all with the new ones. But then again, they’ve improved flares too. I also haven’t heard anyone ripping the crotch or the seams because they’re reinforced.”

The switch has done wonders for Coleman’s morale.

“So far, every time I put the uniform on, I feel free,” Coleman says. “Now I can go over fences like Superman without worrying about blowouts. Even detectives who don’t wear uniforms every day say it’s like putting on butter.”

Of course, any good Superman story needs Lex Luther.

“There are some people who are upset about the fitting,” Coleman says. “But I told those people to take it to the tailor and I’ll pay for it since I got you into this uniform.”

Abshire has heard the same complaints.

“It’s come back with mixed reviews,” she says. “I’m surprised because of how well the test went. Some people hate them. The pants aren’t fitted well enough and some believe it makes the uniform look sloppy. My opinion is they’re putting too much in the pockets. The major complaint right now is that they’re too hot. The light blue was much cooler in the summer months as opposed to the navy.”

Despite complaints, though, the new uniforms have been elected, and Dayton officers had until December 1, 2007 to make the switch.

Because of security issues, we never ship to a home address because it can get into the wrong hands.' - Diane Redden, Lion Apparel

“Most people switched to them right away,” Abshire says. “We had 18 months to integrate this new uniform. The old uniforms haven’t gone out. They will always be here for more formal occasions.”

To help ensure a smooth change, the department’s uniform distributor, Dayton, Ohio-based Lion Apparel, arranged for sittings during a two-week period at either the downtown headquarters or at the academy.

“We also contracted with a local dry cleaner,” says Diane Redden, general manager of Lion Apparel. “The officers can go there, try on uniforms, and the dry cleaner can do alterations on the spot.”

The officers can also order via a secure Web site and have their uniforms shipped to their work precincts.

“Because of security issues,” Redden says, “we never ship to a home address because it can get into the wrong hands.”

Every time an issue has popped up, Coleman says both manufacturer and distributor have acted quickly.

“There was a color issue – something was wrong with their dying process – and the uniforms started to fade very quickly,” Coleman says. “But they replaced everything that faded and they’re fixing the problem. They’ve really been on top of it.”