Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-18
WANT TO WEAR
COOL UNIFORMS
POLICEMEN FAVOR BLOUSE
EFFECTS
BLOUSE
Uniforms In Use Are Hot and Un-
comfortable and Gauzy Shirt
Waists May Be Substituted
for Comfort

Los Angeles police may doff their
neaVy uniforms and don blouses such
as are worn by mail carriers through
out the United States If the agitation
now being carried on eliminates sat
isfactorily to those who daily sweat
and try to look comfortable.
Fat officers, lean officers, tall officers
and short officers, who walk their beats
for eight hours during the heat Of day,
went YEARLY dragging themselves up
the hill on West First street yester =
day to the central station. as they
wiped away the streams of perspiration
that went coursing down their faces
from under the helmets.
Did anyone ask if it was hot? Hard
ly. Policemen may be brave, but they
realize the futility of running into sure
death. Why, they didn't even dare to
hand out the usual amount of hot air.
Do Not Mind Heat
Desk sergeants painted as they count
ed over the numerous articles that
"drunks' are sure to have stored away
IN their manly pockets. BY the way
the "drunks" were the only ones at the
station who did not seem to give any
attention to the heat.
The only man who really seemed to
have a cool job wos the driver. He
stirred up quite a breeze as the "buzz-
wagon" patrol went at full speed after
some unfortunate who had imbibed too
freely of the foamy fluid in an endeaVor
to quench his thirst. 1t was one of
the days when calls didn't come fire.
quently enough to satisfy the driver
for when he was at the station he, too,
'Sweated"
Hence came the questions, why is a
uniform" why should a policeman
sweat to look pretty?" These questions
led to full discussion as to why po-
licemen could not wear shirt waists.
Were Dressed Warm
at remember" said man who used
to walk a beat but has since become
a bailiff, that eight years ago we had
to wear long coat with vest and keep
both of them buttoned up. Outside of
this we had to have a wide belt
buckled around us and sometimes had
to wear white gloves. This was not
when we were on parade, either. 1t
was common, everyday occurrence.
Il had beat where cool breezes
were at premium and I can tell you
that I often wished that the police de-
partment was ina cooler place"
eyes, I had about the same kind
of beat" chimed in the desk sergeant,
but l believe 1T was cooler than this.
Then we could drop in at a thirst
quenching parlor and get a-a-a-an
ice cream soda.
''They can count me as being in favor
of cooler uniform. People laughed
when the mail carriers took off their
heavy uniforms and put on the shirt
waist, but what would they think of
mail carrier now if he wore a heavy
coat and vest and kept them buttoned
up?"
Take 1t Seriously
While the officers took the thought of
cooler uniform seriously. of course
they had to have their little Jokes.
Someone suggested that the chiefs
waist should differ a little from the
officers and that the stripes to dis
tinguish him from the officers could
easily be sewed on to the sleeves.
All were unanimous that a blouse
made out of dark green material would
Just suit Detective Kelley. The sug-
gestion was made in Kelleys absence,
but he will be approached regarding
IT from a safe distance today.
Patrolman Jack Murphy will also
have green waist, but his is to be of a
different shade from Kelley's, and in
order to save material will not be made
with box plaits.
Pat Quint is to have a green waist
also, but will be allowed to wear aspink
one on Sundays. All the different
shades and styles have not been deter
mined upon, but official action will be
taken when the next meeting is called.