LE T-Shirts?!

[Godside]

There's another post on this board regarding T-shirts, and it reminded me of some T-shirts that I've seen getting very popular, especially around High School and College Aged males. Some of the shirts I have seen read "Police", "FBI", "Undercover Police", etc. How do you all, as officers, see these shirts? Do you simply just shrug it off or do you take stance against these types of T-shirts?? As far as I'm concerned, they should be outlawed.

*Just to Clarify.. These shirts are being worn by Civilians as a "Joke".*

[ 11-26-2001: Message edited by: Godside ]

[Highpockets]

When I went to our last phase of training for Military Police a few guys purchased Military Police T shirts when they got there. I waited until I had passed and had my Certificate before puying any. I don't want to wear it if I didn't earn it.
I don't see a problem with the COPS TV T shirt but I don't think anyone should wear the POLICE, SHERIFF, FBI, LIFEGUARD, PARAMEDIC or any official T shirt unless they are what it says.

[Evnings]

I think a person is pretty stupid to wear one of those T-shirts if they aren't a cop. What are they going to do if someone comes up to them needing immediate assistance from a police officer.

I have a " Police Officer " T-shirt, but it is for non public use only. The last thing I want anyone to know when I am off duty is that I am a cop, espicially if I have got the wife and kids with me.

I have told people that I see wearing these kind of T-shirts that it is not a really good idea to do so. One of our County Attornies said that he wouldn't prosecute an Impersonating a Police Officer charge unless the person did something to try and compel someone to do something. I have jacked people up wearing bright orange clothes that have " County Jail " written on them. To me, wearing bright orange clothes with County jail written on them is really, really stupid.

[Blonde Heat]

Our Sheriff sells pink underwear as a fundraiser for his jail. They really sale. But i don't think anybody would be caught dead wearing them in public.

[Polizei]

We've got a few kids at my school who wear these "Undercover Police" shirts, white text on a blue shirt. You can order a shirt with pretty much any title on it (POLICE, SHERIFF, FEDERAL AGENT, SWAT, etc) in one of the catelogues I've been sent. They're $11-15, any kid could order one. I've done a little research on this "raid apparel", and what you should look out for is clothing with gold text on a blue background. This stuff is *restricted* to ANYBODY but LE...it's impossible to get it without faxing a copy of your ID. Raid jackets with those colors are impossible to get, period. Don't even try to get ones that say "FBI" or "ATF", they don't even exist publicly, and are nowhere on the internet.

[FLLawdog]

Anything that identifies the wearer as an LEO of any capacity is restricted. Joe Citizen and Charlie Psycho have no clue about white on blue or gold on black....all they see is P-O-L-I-C-E.

If the cops don't wear anything identifying them off duty, then the rest of the population should follow suit. We do it(don't do it) for a reason.

[ateamer]

The color of the lettering means nothing. And anything can be gotten off the Internet -even "official" fed stuff. You just have to look hard enough.

[k9medic]

I saw one of our explorers wearing a "Drug Agent" shirt from a neighboring county. I explianed that the only difference to a bad guy between me and him, is that Im a real LEO, and he is not. He hasnt worn the shirt since publically. I have a real problem with people that wear these types of shirts, especially since I sometimes wear only a T-shirt (and pants you perverts) myself when working my dog.

[Guard Dog]

A lot depends on where you live. I've seen this debated on other discussion boards and it seems that the cops from higher crime more active areas think it's nuts to wear stuff that IDs you as a cop while off duty, whereas the more rural areas figure everyone knows me anyway.

I personally will not wear stuff IDing me as cop when off duty around my neck of the woods. In this area there are too many dirtbags that would just love to cause some grief to some off duty cop. Just like putting cop stickers on your car or the FOP plate holders. GEEZE...I guess I should just put a sign on tyhe car that says "vandalize me".. When I go to the Northwoods fishing, I do wear a hat with our emblem.

Since 9-11 everyone is wearing the NYPD hats etc. What pee'd me off even more was during Viet Nam the dopers wearing the Army shirts with the Divison and unit patches and emblems on intermixed with the peace sign and 13, cannabis leafs etc. The bastards didn't have balls enough to go fight for the right to wear them but would willingly disgrace them.

[SGT Dave]

Interesting topic.

I ABSOLUTELY will not wear one off duty, or have any "cop" stickers on my cars, for obvious reasons. Rookies do because they are proud of the job and title, as I did, but after cleaning bubble gum and phlegm off my POV a few times, I got the idea how some of the public feels.

Our SHP must have an unwritten rule that you have to own at least 20 gray NC SHP T-shirts and wear them unarmed, off duty. A trooper got the dog crap beat out of him a few years ago at a mall by several POSs, for this and probably doesn't do it anymore.

A good friend who used to be a reserve officer quit his FT job and LE to go to a private college to be a youth minister and outdoor education teacher. He went to a party wearing an old raid shirt. After realizing how loud it was and how much drinking there was, he left, and sat on the curb at the street and waited on his ride. LE was called over the noise, and saw my friend wearing the "POLICE" T-shirt and stopped and contacted him, without even checking the party. Now I will try to be objective and not second guess the officers (I wasn't there-maybe my buddy was pulling a Codz-although I doubt it-that’s not his nature.)

They chewed him out over the shirt, and he even told them he HAD been LE until 3 months prior, and they still took his shirt, and charged him with Impersonating an Officer, by citation. This bothered him, as he now had this charge, a court appearance, scholarship issues, and would eventually be seeking employment in the ministry or with schools. I was shocked-I had never heard of it being charged under these circumstances, and even our DA said he would never prosecute this case. Every officer I spoke to laughed about it, and said they see someone EVERY day wearing a shirt like that, and never charge it. But this agency is a "college town" agency, and in a different prosecutorial district, and use a clause that says "wear identification." Even still my training, and our DA requires SOME overt act, other than the T-shirt. I walked a thin line between not slamming another agency and actually thinking the charge was BS, but I tried to talk of them with openness and didn't outwardly "slam" them.

In the end, he called the department and arranged to meet with a supervisor with the intent of just asking for mercy and explaining in detail the situation, and they had him meet with the officer instead and he dropped the charge (?)

Makes me wonder, but he was glad to get the relief, and just left it so. I told him to wait a few months, and see if a lawyer could help with getting it expunged from his record. So "proper" or not, now anytime I'm with any of the officers I asked about that, if we see someone wearing a "POLICE" or "CIA" T-shirt, we just say "they better not wear that to ***** *******!"

[Ron1432]

I never wear anything like that off duty. There are places to get all kinds of that stuff. There is a place outside the main gate of FLETC (Federal Law Enforcement Training Center) that has just about anything you can think of. They will put your badge, patch emblem etc. on anything. And if they don't have it will make it.

[BT]

At the high school I just graduated from, most of the people that wore that type of shirt could surely NOT be mistaken for a LEO, among the blond-streaked gelled hair, the earring, the shiny baggy jeans, the sky-blue sparkly "basketball" shoes, and the teeny bopper music constantly filling the air around them, heheh.

On a more serious note, I just always saw looked upon those shirts as kinda dumb, but was never struck with the thought of the serious issues I just read about.

[ 11-26-2001: Message edited by: BT ]

[TexasGlockCop]

Funny, any time I have purchased any "Police" labeled items (ie. hat, jacket, shirt, etc.) I had to produce documentation that I was a Police Officer. But, any store that does custom t-shirts can make one. I know this might be considered a violation of the 1st Amen. right of "freedon of speech", but I would like to see some sort of regulation on certain titles (Police, Sheriff, ATF, FBI, etc.) for the simple reason, if nothing else, of not confusing the general public. Or making it easier for criminals to impersonate officers. I understand that the people mentioned were high school/college aged, but if it is easy enough for them, than anyone else could also.

[Godside]

I'm in basic agreement of what has been said on this thread regarding the T-shirts. It is just another attempt by the public to gain status and stand out, forgetting that there may be repercussions against their actions (I.E. - Situation in Sgt. Dave's thread). Identifying yourself, even as a joke, as a Public Servant (Peace Officer, whatever the way your law states it) is pretty serious. And I agree with TexasGlockCop... Anyone can just go to any "Teen Aimed Clothing Store" and purchase this, and literally commit a crime, and who will the public attribute this to? Hopefully not the real LEOs. I just see a lawsuit coming ... maybe it is just me...

[slolightbar]

Yeah... ive seen them on the kids here.... I beleive Volcom (the skating company) makes some that say POLICE and SECURITY on them in black letters with a goold background. they say that on the front and then have the Volcom diamond on the back and the sleeves - theyre just dumb. They also endanger others. I wear an orange shirt that has a sheriff star and my name on it, and then says Sheriffs Dept in big letters on the back, similar to a raid shirt my dpt issued out on occasion, and that is a mistake. Only wear it around the house now. I went out once in black cargo BDU's and the orange shirt... Somebody mistook me for a SWAT Team member... Wont do that again will I!