Employment Levels and Apparel Requirements for Law Enforcement Agencies are on the Rise

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Police work can be very dangerous and stressful. In addition to the obvious dangers of confrontations with criminals, officers need to be constantly alert and ready to deal appropriately with a number of other threatening situations. Many law enforcement officers witness death and suffering resulting from accidents and criminal behavior. A career in law enforcement may take a toll on officers private lives.

People depend on police officers and detectives to protect their lives and property. Law enforcement officers, some of whom are state or federal special agents or inspectors, perform these duties in a variety of ways, depending on the size and type of their organization. In most jurisdictions, they are expected to exercise authority when necessary, whether on or off duty. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 65% of state and local law enforcement officers are uniformed personnel.

Amazingly, despite the known job hazards, the number of qualified candidates exceeds the number of job openings in federal and state law enforcement agencies, according to reports issued by the U.S. Department of Labor.

There is good news for the applicants that do not find work at the federal and state level. The number of candidates is currently inadequate to meet growth and replacement needs in many local and special police departments.

Police and detectives made up about 834,000 jobs in 2000, and about 80% of them were employed by local governments. State police agencies employed about 13% and various federal agencies employed about 6%. A small proportion worked for schools, railroads, transit agencies, or private detective, guard, and armored car services.

The number of employment opportunities will rise fastest in urban communities with relatively low salaries and high crime rates.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, police and detectives employed by local governments primarily worked in cities with more than 25,000 inhabitants. Some cities have very large police forces, while thousands of small communities employ fewer than 25 officers each. Forty-six local, special and state agencies employed 1,000 or more full-time sworn officers, while approximately 7,000 departments employed fewer than 10 each.

Sheriffs and deputy sheriffs enforce the law on the county level. Sheriffs departments tend to be relatively small, most having fewer than 25 sworn officers. A deputy sheriff in a large agency will have law enforcement duties similar to those of officers in urban police departments. Nationwide, about 40% of full-time sworn deputies are uniformed officers assigned to patrol and respond to calls.

State police officers (sometimes called state troopers or highway patrol officers) arrest criminals statewide and patrol highways to enforce motor vehicle laws and regulations. State law enforcement agencies operate in every State except Hawaii. Seventy percent of the full-time sworn personnel in the 49 state police agencies are uniformed officers who regularly patrol and respond to calls for service.

Public college and university police forces, public school district police and agencies serving transportation systems and facilities are examples of special police agencies. There are more than 1,300 of these agencies with special geographic jurisdictions or enforcement responsibilities in the United States. More than 75% of the sworn personnel in special agencies are uniformed officers, and about 15% are investigators.

The types of departments in many police organizations have become very specialized. Along with this trend have come specific clothing developments. Far beyond simple adjustments in the apparel for temperature considerations (warm for winter; cool for summer). On the one hand, there often are high performance needs for special forces. At the other extreme, additional administrative workers desire more comfortable indoor fashions.

The levels of responsibility and variety of tasks performed by todays law enforcement agencies has increased to such an extent that the one look, one style uniform is an approach of the past. Special occasion uniforms are a part of many programs. Garments appropriate for work on motorcycles, bicycles, horses and foot patrol are needed. Locations maintained by a uniformed officers presence, such as national parks, amusements parks, airports, beaches and marinaseach offer a unique challenge for clothing suiting the environment.

Uniform manufacturers, dealers and distributors are responding to the request. Fabrics today feature more dynamic functionality than ever. Contemporary blends help the body better handle temperature shifts. Modern fabric treatments will absorb, conceal, repel, retard and reflect just about anything thrown at the threads.

Employment of police and detectives is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2010. A more security-conscious society and higher concern about drug-related crimes should contribute to the increasing demand for police services. At the local and state levels, growth is likely to continue as long as crime remains a serious concern. However, employment growth at the federal level will be tempered by continuing budgetary constraints faced by law enforcement agencies.

The level of government spending determines the number of police officers. The number of job opportunities, therefore, can vary from year to year and from place to place. Layoffs, on the other hand, are rare because retirements enable most staffing cuts to be handled through attrition.

Each year, the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) presents the Best Dressed Police Department Awards to participating law enforcement organizations. In 2002, this included programs from all parts of the United States, from Connecticut to Utah. The competition also honored a few of the special services law enforcement operationssuch as Michigans Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement division and the U.S. Mint Police Department.

Made To Measure Magazine presents these fine examples of quality uniform programs to showcase the enormous law enforcement segment of the uniform industry and the variety of opportunities to be found within this niche.

 
Programs from the
Best Dressed Police Competition

Awarded by the National Association of Uniform
Manufacturers and Distributors

Winner
Best Specialized Agency Hall of Fame
Fort Myer Military Police Company, VA

The company has several sections, including the K-9 Patrol, Civil Liason Section, Military Police Investigators, Bike Patrol, Traffic Accident Investigators, Special Reaction Team, and Patrolmen. The distinct look of these officers is comprised of blue trousers with a gold stripe, white shirts and dark blue jackets. Ties and belts are black, as are shoes and boots. The uniform for patrols is the army battle dress uniform with military police bassard. The CLS and MPI wear civilian attire. At some events during the summer months, soldiers will wear the army class B green uniform with bassard. For ceremonies involving national leaders and heads of state, soldiers wear the army dress blue uniform. Company officers and senior non-commissioned officers wear blue service caps while enlisted personnel wear white caps.

 

Winner
City under 200 officers
Jonesborough Department of Public Safety, TN

The summer uniform consists of navy slacks with a half-inch scarlet cord on both out seams, a short-sleeve navy shirt with three permanent creases on the back and an open collar, the triple-brim straw campaign hat and a ballistic vest. The winter uniform consists of the long-sleeve shirt with tie and tiebar, felt campaign hat and winter coat. The department changes its seasonal uniforms when the time changes in April and October.The dress uniform consists of the slacks, white shirt, dress coat, felt campaign hat, scarlet shoulder braid on the coat, patent leather duty gear, patent leather shoes and white gloves.

 

Winner
Specialized Agency
United States Mint Police

The U.S. Mint Police officers wear a LAPD-style uniform. The colors of the uniforms are blue and gold. Only the nametag and badge are authorized for wear on the uniform. Sergeants wear blue stripes below the shoulder patch. Lieutenants and above wear metal rank insignia on their collars. The bike patrol wears dress uniforms, long sleeves, tie, hat and white gloves. The Special Response Team wears steel battle dress uniforms. The Training and Emergency division wears navy battle dress uniform. Instructors wear navy blue and red or white polo shirt with U.S. Mint Police insignia. Uniforms must present a neat and professional appearance. Mint police officers strive to set the standard for federal uniformed police agencies.

 

Winner
State Agency
Utah Highway Patrol, UT

The Utah Highway Patrol officers wear taupe trousers with a dark brown shirt and taupe shoulder straps. A felt campaign hat is worn in the winter months, and a straw campaign hat is worn in the summer. All outerwear is dark brown including Eisenhower jackets, except rainwear which is yellow. All sworn officers wear the same uniform. Captain Ken Betterton says, To the public, the uniform distinguishes the officer from all others as a beacon of hope and trust, if clearly identifiable and worn correctly. If anything decent came from the horrific terrorist attacks of 9/11, it would be a renewed respect for law enforcement. This is the noblest profession of all. We must each and everyone look and act the part America deserves and earned.

 

Winner
County
Forsyth County Sheriffs Office, GA

Traditionally, Georgia sheriffs officers wear tan shirts and dark brown trousers. After much research prior to purchasing, the Forsyth County Sheriffs office decided the color green would be used as a part of the uniform. Part of the departments decision was based on the use of green accent stripes on its patrol vehicles. The uniform consists mainly of a silver-tan shirt and forest green trousers. The shoulder patch is forest green with silver and gold highlights. The uniform is topped off with a black campaign hat, complete with gold braids and a smaller version of the gold seven-point sheriffs star badge. A ball-type cap is used by the marine patrol.

 

Winner
City over 200 officers
Columbus Division of Police, OH

Each officer is issued five pairs of pants, five long-sleeve, five short-sleeve shirts, uniform cap, shoes, ties and body armor with two vest covers. Gore-Tex lined rainwear and light-weight and Gore-Tex lined winter-weight jackets are also standard issue. There are also detailed specifications for Aviation Section Pilots, K-9 Units, Horse Patrol, Marine Patrol Officers, and motorcycle officers. Uniforms are also supplied for the bagpipe officers. Lt. Chapman says the Division of Police feels that its dark trousers with white shirt and cap gives each officer a very professional appearance. The patrol, motorcycle, mounted, and bike units all are dressed in the same colors to give the department a very consistent appearance.

 

Winner
County
Columbia County Sheriffs Office, GA

The Columbia County Sheriffs Office has a staff of 287 employees that serves a population of 100,000. With K-9 units, motorcycle squads and bicycle patrols, this countys uniforms are easily recognizable with Air Force blue trousers, light blue shirts with gold insignia and embroidered sleeve badge insignia. The Crime Suppression Unit wears blue BDU uniforms. The bike patrol wears dark blue shorts with a light blue bike shirt. The traffic unit wears the standard patrol uniform with boots and other leather appointments.

 

Winner
City under 200 officers
Lodi Police Department, NJ

According to Sgt. Joseph Quatrone, The uniform change, along with the new black and white police vehicles, have had a positive effect with the members of the department and the community. Morale is high and department members are more self confident. The uniform standards have increased due to specifications worn by each officer. The trousers are navy with a French blue stripe. The summer shirt is also French Blue. In the winter, the shirt is navy matching the trousers. The year-round tie is French blue as well. The rainwear, boots, shoes and belts are black. The updated police patch now contains the boro logo instead of the New Jersey state seal. Boro residents have welcomed the new look with positive feedback. The traditional look of the black and white patrol vehicles is a real crowd pleaser.

 

Winner
City under 200 officers
Lincolnshire Police Department, IL

Lincolnshire Police Department is a 20-member department of the North Shore Chicago Metropolitan area. Twenty years ago, a committee of officers was formed and decided to replace the traditional khaki and green uniforms with a unique, more distinctive look. Presently, officers wear a midnight blue five star cap, a midnight blue shirt, slate gray trousers with a one-inch midnight blue stripe, a slate gray tie, basket weave duty belt and black shoes. Police officers wear a silver shield containing the Village of Lincolnshire seal in the center.

 

Winner
Specialized Agency
Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, MI

The Michigan Conservation officer works in all kinds of weather. Because of the nature of the duties of Conservation officers, it is challenging to outfit them for all the elements they encounter. Conservation officers face unique situations that require specialized uniforms and equipment. Items such as bright orange caps for hunting seasons, full immersion marine work suits and floatation coats provide for each officers safety and survival. The standard uniform color is olive drab green for the trousers, jacket, ties, outerwear and rainwear. The snowmobile suit is black, and the marine work suit is orange. A Pershing dress hat is typicall headwear, but there are various styles of caps.

 

Winner
City over 200 officers
Waterbury Police Department, CT

The trousers are navy blue with a one-inch black stripe for officers, and a blue and yellow stripe for patrolmen. The shirts are navy blue with a black tie. The jackets and hats also are navy blue. The rainwear jackets are orange. The superintendent and deputy superintendent wear white shirts. The officers are easily identifiable, comfortable and have easily maintainable garments that the personnel can wear with pride and honor.

 
Above story first appeared in MADE TO MEASURE Magazine, Spring & Summer 2003 issue. All rights reserved. Photos appear by special permission.
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