I'd direct him to Fredom Kilts page about how to measure:

http://www.freedomkilts.com/store/wizard/1/3

...that ought to sum it up and it's coming from an authority so he'll have to believe it.

How many of our kiltmaker forum members have stressed being honest about that waist measurement instead of yielding to vanity and ending up with a very expensive kilt that doesn't fit?

And as to his being a cop...dude, I know lots of cops who started out slim, trim and able to leap six foot fences while in pursuit of evildoers and who let themselves go over the years...and passing the department physical didn't ever really factor into it.

It's also a sort of factoid that p*nts manufacturers chippy on those waist measurements to make the customers feel better.

Best

AA