Patches. A badge. The duty belt. Freshly pressed pants. These are some of the components that make the police uniform one of the most recognizable outfits to the public, as many children have been taught how to identify an officer for safety purposes since a young age.

In many cases, however, that same information now carries a negative connotation because trust between the community and law enforcement is low. Many people fear the uniform rather than seeing it as a sense of comfort and safety.

Traditionally, law enforcement officers had to sacrifice functionality for appearance to maintain positive relationships within the community. Officers now, more than ever, need to represent the upmost in professionalism to gain community trust, but they also need dynamic athletic functionality to perform their duties.

Companies have recognized the struggle officers are having between the look and functionality of their uniforms and have put their research and development teams together to create a variety of fabrics and materials to make officers more proficient on the job, without detracting from the professional appearance.

Fabric

Rather than assuming what their users need, 5.11—a well-known public safety apparel and gear provider—works in tandem with public safety professionals to identify areas of improvement within the uniform, footwear, outerwear, and gear space.

After speaking with their end users, researchers and developers tackled the functionality versus appearance concerns head-on, finding that there was room to maintain the traditional police appearance while adding functionality and value to directly benefit the men and women in public safety.

A great example of 5.11’s partnership with the public safety sector is the development of a top-selling item—the Apex Pant. A federal agency had reached out to the company to create a low-vis pant that allows agents to inconspicuously carry essential equipment in restrictive environments. After collaboration, fabric development, and functionality testing, those needs were met with the Apex Pant.

Many traditional law enforcement uniforms are thick, wool-based garments that require professional laundering services. 5.11, however, pride themselves on having apparel that is classified as “wash and wear,” which allows officers a more convenient alternative for cleaning their uniforms.¹ Their apparel also includes performance fabrics and improved construction, as well as value-
added features such as pre-installed microphone wire passthroughs in the shirts.

By adding mechanical stretch into their fabrics, 5.11 can create a uniform that maintains a neat, clean, and professional appearance while adding to the user’s range of motion, ultimately increasing the wearer’s capabilities. The 5.11 research and development team are also in the beginning stages of developing anti-viral fabrics for future use in public safety uniforms.

Sticking closer to the traditional wool-based styles of law enforcement uniforms—but still advancing functionality—is Raeford Uniform Fabrics. Raeford Uniform Fabrics—located in Greensboro, North Carolina—is a division of Burlington Industries and Elevate Textiles that has been providing fabrics for law enforcement uniforms for almost 70 years.

“We seek to provide high levels of functionality and durability in products that produce the professional image required of police officers and other members of the public safety community,” said Griffin Jones, business manager of Raeford Uniform Fabrics.²

The top line products from the company’s catalog are wool and polyester wool blends. “Most officers hear wool and think itchy and hot,” Jones explains. “But we use a product that is much different from the products of old.”

The first step researchers took to include athletic functionality in uniforms was to create Raeflex, which is a fabric that combines soft wool with polyester and new age, bicomponent yarn. Raeflex is a fabric that provides 20 percent stretch without the use of Lycra or Spandex. It is also able to be home laundered or dry-cleaned.

Raeford Uniform Fabrics uses merino wool fibers that create soft, durable products—also known as worsted wool. According to Jones, the functionality derives from the makeup of the wool fiber. Wool is a keratin protein with hollow spaces in the center of the fiber, allowing for the best dye penetration for color matching and shade retention. The hollow core in the fiber allows for moisture transfer without feeling wet and creates air space to provide insulation in cool environments; the nature and shape of the fiber also makes the fabric cool in warmer climates.

Gear

Another company also focused on providing products based on comfort that does not compromise on durability or professional appearance is Hero’s Pride.

“Back pain is a problem for more than 60 percent of officers,” said President Mike Marmor. “Duty belts have been cited as the number one reason for back discomfort among police officers.”³ This was the main reason behind the development of Hero Pride’s AIRTEK duty gear line in 2015.

AIRTEK is synthetic and leather—synthetic on the front and leather on the backstraps and on the inside of cases. This combination of synthetic material and leather allows for AIRTEK’s lightweight, high-durability performance in the most high-stress areas. “Items in our line are as much as 39 percent lighter than equivalent items of competing bands,” said Marmor.

The line also features DOT snaps that are made in the United States to ensure that integrity is maintained.

The company has also received positive remarks regarding the line’s attractiveness. Many find that the basketweave synthetic skin looks just like leather and remains scratch-resistant, providing officers with a professional-looking product.

Marmor explained that many officers fear that lightweight gear will not hold up to their durability needs. To back up their durability promise, Hero’s Pride had the line tested on the ASTM D7255 abrasion wheel test and received high marks. At the request of agencies, the company also had the gear line tested on the ASTM 1671 blood pathogen test.

Along with the duty gear line, the California-based company has a large selection of embroidered emblems, duty gear, and other uniform accessories.

Each of the aforementioned companies—5.11, Raeford Uniform Fabrics, and Hero’s Pride—conduct focus groups and field test on all their products prior to releasing them into the field, ensuring their products meet and exceed the needs of their end users.

While many in the public can recognize law enforcement officers based on their uniforms, the public likely fails to understand how restrictive and uncomfortable the apparel can be in a field where athleticism is important, focusing instead on the professional appearance required of police officers.

Luckily, there are various companies that partner with public safety professionals and rely on end user feedback to produce a professional-looking, but comfortable, line of apparel and gear products. Having these products in the field will allow officers to perform their duties more effectively, while also strengthening an agency’s relationship with community members.

Notes:

¹Kristen Gooding (public relations and advertising manager, 5.11), email interview, July 9, 2021.

²Griffin Jones (business manager, Raeford Uniform Fabrics), email interview, July 12, 2021.

³Mike Marmor (president, Hero’s Pride), email interview, July 7, 2021.