Why Do Police Officers Wear Black Uniforms?

Question

That's the worst color you could possibly wear at night on the streets.

Answer 1

I always thought they were dark blue. But I see your point. If you can't see them how do you know they are even there?

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

It's actually drk blue, light blue, even green, brown, and grey. Departments choosing to keep the dark blue uniforms, do so because the dark color will conceal an officer better at nighttime. Also, the mayor dictates what the uniform regulations are, just a little f.y.i.

"As one would expect, the color evolved from specific historical circumstances. To begin with, at one time not only did nearly every police officer in America wear a dark blue uniform, but so did every firefighter and train conductor as well. About the only official functionaries who did not were the United States Post Office letter carriers who have traditionally worn blue-grey.

The widespread popularity of dark blue as a color choice can probably be traced back to the London Police Department, the world's first organized municipal law enforcement agency. Blue was selected quite simply to distinguish the police from the Army, who as a rule, wore red."

http://www.madetomeasuremag.com/features/pre2003/whyblue.html

*the question is not about SWAT teams, the question is about police on the street, aka Patrol Officers, and the correct name is "dark blues". In response, SWAT teams wear black for tactical reasons. SWAT teams have more advanced training than the average patrol officer for serving warrants, entering buildings, riots, etc.

Answer 4

Not all departments wear black uniforms. A benefit to a dark-colored uniform is concealment at night, much the same as burglars do, but officers do it for a good reason. Officers want to know where the "bad guys" are without the "bad guys" knowing where they are.

Answer 5

Its a shade of dark blue - and not all officers wear that shade either.

State police wear a color I like to call 'baby puke green'. And more localized law enforcement wear lighter blue colors.

And actually, if something were to happen at night on the streets, the dark colors make for decent camoflauge . It's better than nothing!


Black uniforms and government kind of went 'out' with the Nazi's.

Answer 6

Most of them are a shade of blue.
If I remember correctly the early police started wearing blue because it was the cheapest color of cloth you could buy.

Answer 7

They are actually dark blue.

Police Officers actually like to be able to blend in a little bit at night sometimes.

Answer 8

I always thought it made me look "hot"

But the idea is not to be seen, so you are not an easy target, that is why on the swat and the such there is nothing that shines.

But as mentioned many departmetns where dark or light blue, and many wear tan or brown.

Answer 9

That's exactly why they wear dark blue/black (yes some do wear black uniforms). Why would they want someone they are chasing (let's say, on foot) to see them?

Answer 10

Most of the time, it is the best of colours to wear at night, because you don't want to be seen so that you won't get shot at. It would be hard to sneak up to a house where a person with a gun has baricaded themselves wearing florescent orange.
When we want to be visible we wear traffic vests on the roadway.

Answer 11

Swat teams do wear black. They look like something out of Star Wars. Very Darthish. It's to scare the **** out of you! That's why. Swat was supposed to be used in hostage situations only. LOL It was used 44000 times in 2005 and only 17 were hostage situations.