Kilts as a dress uniform in policy for law enforcement

**TnTJ** · 30th December 12, 09:22 PM

The number of posts related to this subject on these forums is just daunting. However, I haven't seemed to locate a specific/ more detailed answer so I'll put this out there...

I am a soon to be retired city cop. My next career will hopefully allow me to remain in the community and while I'm here, I plan to keep working occasionally as a reserve officer. I am learning the bagpipes and it appears that I'll be the only piper around. As this is a small community, many citizens know that I am practicing and have expressed their excitement for my involvement in local events. Some of these I would like to perform in a yet- to- be- determined dress uniform with kilt.

I have seen many departments that have this setup implemented (but not anywhere near here). I believe I have a decent chance to do so here but would like advice from those in the know- how did you broach the subject with your higher- ups? When it was put in place, was it written as a policy (detailed) or on the verbal whim of the Chief? Did you have to create an applicability plan and present it to City Council?

Looking forward to these answers.

**Chas** · 31st December 12, 03:48 AM

Hello TnTJ,

What you are proposing is good and laudable and will make a valuable addition to the Force and your community. There is a problem with it though. To get it implemented will require a considerable amount of work and effort by more than one person. The more departments that are involved and the work and effort will grow exponentially as each department will have to interact with each other.

People are inherently lazy and I am sure that all the officials concerned have more than enough work to contend with now. So I would offer this idea.

Write the Policy Document and the Dress Code yourself.

Take your time; be comprehensive; include all foreseeable eventualities; do accurate costings; have answers to every possible question that someone might ask; take soundings from others (serving officers, retired officers, widows and children, unrelated members of the public, fellow kiltwearers and members of other organisations with kilted dress).

What are the advantages of doing it yourself? Well, for a start, there is a better chance of getting what you want.

When it is finished, produce it in hard-copy and on CD, so that the officials concerned will be able to easily copy and paste into their own documents. The more work that you do for them at the start will ease the passage through any local legislation.

Good luck and keep us informed.

Regards

Chas

**dutchy kilted** · 31st December 12, 05:38 AM

Greetings, TnTJ, from a a fellow Law Dog,

I know there are other PD's that have a kilt as part of their dress uniform. At the Maryland Irish Festival, either Baltimore City or Baltimore County cops wear a kilt with their dress blouse, and the New Hampshire Highland games the Franklin (NH) police and surrounding areas all wear kilts with their regular unifroms. They might be able to help you out with a policy. If there is a local Emerald Society they might be able to put you in touch with other departments that have a policy.

Springettsbury Township PD in York County, Pennsylvania has or had a piper who had a modified uniform for piping.

God luck and keep us updated.

Here is an older post with some good pictures for you:
http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...t-kilts-74661/

**flairball** · 31st December 12, 06:42 AM

Don't know if this will help, but....

I work on the fire side of public safety, and our department has a gaelic brigade. The pipers and drummers all have kilts as part of their uniform. The brigade is organized as a club, and the kilt was their uniform, not any official dept dress uniform. I don't know if they had to get permission to use the city patch on their uniform. I doubt it, as the city needs all the help it can get in bettering it's image. The kilt is only used in conjunction with brigade activities, and would be inappropriate for "official" business. That said, there have been official functions where the city has requested a piper, and the piper would then be wearing the brigade uniform.

The brigade, being a club, differs from the honor guard in that the honor guard is endorsed by the city, and their members get comp time for acting as part of the honor guard. The brigade is all about making noise, drinking beer, and .......

**MacMillan of Rathdown** · 31st December 12, 12:24 PM

Originally Posted by flairball

Don't know if this will help, but....

I work on the fire side of public safety, and our department has a gaelic brigade. The pipers and drummers all have kilts as part of their uniform. The brigade is organized as a club, and the kilt was their uniform, not any official dept dress uniform. I don't know if they had to get permission to use the city patch on their uniform. I doubt it, as the city needs all the help it can get in bettering it's image. The kilt is only used in conjunction with brigade activities, and would be inappropriate for "official" business. That said, there have been official functions where the city has requested a piper, and the piper would then be wearing the brigade uniform.

The brigade, being a club, differs from the honor guard in that the honor guard is endorsed by the city, and their members get comp time for acting as part of the honor guard. The brigade is all about making noise, drinking beer, and .......

Absolutely the right answer.

**1oldsarge** · 31st December 12, 01:20 PM

Los Angeles Police has a band, link here:
http://www.emeraldsociety.net/

**SlackerDrummer** · 2nd January 13, 11:05 AM

I would recommend trying to match the club uniform to the actual uniform. When I played for the Prince George's County Police Pipe Band I thought we should have had surplus dress jackets like this...

tailored like this...

But instead we wore black Argyle jackets like every other pipe band. Fine for competing at a Highland games, but not so much for "official" gigs.

**Streetcar** · 4th January 13, 09:13 AM

We formed our police pipe band about 2 years ago. Although we had the "blessing" of the department, we organized as a non-profit outside and independent of our department. We designed our own uniforms and patches to look similar to our class A uniforms.
Since at this point it's only you playing, I'd suggest designing your own outfit. (Not really a uniform if there's only one of you). You could probably get permission to use your department's patch, but I'd advise against using your official badge. When you play, you want to be there as civilian, not an on-duty law enforcement officer.

**ctbuchanan** · 4th January 13, 09:45 AM

The official dress uniform for the Lincoln New Hampshire Police Dept. is the kilt in the New Hampshire Tartan. They started wearing the kilts to the New Hampshire Highland Games and like them so much they adopted them as their dress uniform. Perhaps you could contact the department there.

**creagdhubh** · 4th January 13, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by SlackerDrummer

I would recommend trying to match the club uniform to the actual uniform. When I played for the Prince George's County Police Pipe Band I thought we should have had surplus dress jackets like this...

tailored like this...

But instead we wore black Argyle jackets like every other pipe band. Fine for competing at a Highland games, but not so much for "official" gigs.

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