The Police Sweater: A Uniform Element and More
The appearance of a uniformed police officer in a room will always have the immediate effect of drawing the attention of everyone in the room and stopping the action, at least momentarily. This has little to do with the police officer him or herself, however capable or charismatic that officer may be, its all about the impact of the police uniform. The police uniform has a psychological effect on the citizenry that goes beyond attracting their attention. The uniform make a very clear statement of authority and power that only begins with the obvious intimidation factor of the Sam Browne Belt equipped with weapons, restraining devices and radios. The authority of the uniform is also communicated through the uniform's cut, color and accessories. One such uniform accessory that has a subtle but important effect is the police sweater; as the gun in the holster reassures the citizenry that the officer will protect and serve, a sweater as a uniform element makes the statement that properly worn, conservatively designed sweaters always make: that the wearer is intelligent and can be trusted.
The police sweater fits in the category of 'career' sweaters, as opposed to casual or fashion sweaters. Career sweaters, designed to perform well under intense, log-term usage, are more heavily constructed than those designed for leisure wear. The top of the line police sweater is manufactured using a combination of wool (approximately 30%) and an acrylic material marketed by the Monsanto Company known as S-63®. The Monsanto acrylic material is sold under the name Pil-Trol®. Pil-Trol® was created to resolve a particular problem: the material used to manufacture sweaters, be it cotton, wool or a regular acrylic has a tendency to "pill," which means that the loose fibers create little fuzzy balls that detract from the appearance of the sweater. Monsanto's Pil-Trol® is engineered to allow these pills to break off easily so that the sweater maintains it's neat, professional appearance longer.
The police sweater is normally only available in a dark blue color (with black and sometimes brown or khaki being options). The color blue as a traditional "police color" is a tradition that was started in England where the first modern police force was conceived and born. London's "Bobbies" were issued dark blue uniforms that resembled military uniforms in all but their color. That color was also selected when the first police force in the United States was put into place in New York City in 1845.