"Surplus" uniform/ bad optics, or good business?

[Lardbeast]

My error - Chris must still be busy touring fuel depots

Does he have a number two to carry his Zimmer frame for him?

 

[WhiteCrane]

And some surplus store in Kent ? was all over the media saying he was selling gear like sh!t off a shovel.

I think I know him! Ex- PWR SGT right? He is a top bloke.

 

[Portree Kid]

I think I know him! Ex- PWR SGT right? He is a top bloke.

No idea

Not the original article I read

'I'm happy to give my life for Ukraine'

We meet the Ukrainians flocking to a Kent Army surplus shop to secure much-needed military supplies to take to the front line in the war with Russia.

www.kentonline.co.uk

Apparently he is known as '' Wozza ''

 

[WhiteCrane]

No idea

Not the original article I read

'I'm happy to give my life for Ukraine'

We meet the Ukrainians flocking to a Kent Army surplus shop to secure much-needed military supplies to take to the front line in the war with Russia.

www.kentonline.co.uk

Apparently he is known as '' Wozza ''

Yes! That is him!

 

[wasteofrations2]

Meh. I will clarify a tad.

State police officers will wear their State arm patches for whichever department they are in - ie. State Trooper, or fish and wildlife, there are also some others.

Local county sheriffs deputies will wear their county sheriffs office patch.

Local city police departments will wear their city police department patch.

They pretty much all wear the stars and stripes above their department patches on both sleeves to indicate their pride in being an American.

As to sheriffs and police chiefs wearing stars on their collars, or epaulettes. The local county Sheriff being the senior law enforcement official in a county gets to wear the most stars, usually 4. Then the various city police chiefs in that county wear less stars, usually 2, or 3.

Strangely though, the top cop in Texarrse, the head of the state police uniformed arm, is only a Colonel..............go figure.

@Sam The Bam , having had a full state police career, may have some more light to shed on this.

Just a slight drift, do Plod on your side of the pond have a policy regarding medal ribbons?

 

[Effendi]

Just a slight drift, do Plod on your side of the pond have a policy regarding medal ribbons?

Might be best to ask @Sam The Bam , or @RaiderBoat if they can wear them on their formal blues.

I am acquanted with a police medal of honour winner (dit to follow) and do not recall seeing that on his working uniform. lots of the local lads are ex-military, and they just wear police insignia.

Police insignia I have seen are: Motors qualified (motorcycle), this is a winged wheel; SWAT qualified, this is an AR rifle type badge. I am pretty sure there is an EOD badge too but, the only bloke I knew who had done the course and worked at the job wore two hats. His day job was as a plainclothes so I never saw him in uniform so I could not say what his badge looks like - though the department presented me with a tactical team patch as a memento.

The NYPD have their own peculiar to them (I have not seen anyone else doing it) wearing of police medals/awards. If you watch Blue Bloods you will notice that above their badge they have column of what looks like enamel medal ribbons. These are internal departmental medals for a variety of things from having been on the ground at 9/11, good conduct awards, and the departmental medal of honour. There is a joke around the number of medals some have referring to them as: The too stupid to join the fire brigade medal, the got divorced last year medal, most traffic tickets in a month medal. One yhing I have noticed about the NYPD is that they seem to get issued with proper swinging on ribbon medal but, then even on their best parade blues they only seem to wear ancouple of swingers and the rest of their awards shown in enamel form over their badge.

I used to regularly shoot with a Texas Ranger who had been a full career army Ranger, in his collection he had a bronze star, silver star, and purple heart. Nowadays at 68, due to post retirement boredom, he works as a courts police officer, in uniform, and only wears his court issued badge and his Texarrse SWAT qualification badge.

So, nope I do not ever recall ever seeing a plod here wearing any military awarded ribbons, or insignia. Though there is a niggle in the back of my brain box saying, “oi plonker there was that one bloke wearing blues with the CMH around his neck”…..I can’t place it though.

The medal of honour dit: This was told to me by the best mate of the medal winner, who is himself a city police chief. The award winner was in the State Police, is a tad shorter than me and I’m 6’1” but he does weights so he is a big b’stard. Before he retired he was about as close as it gets to badgeman of the particular State Police he was in, having spent most of his 24 years on the State SWAT team.

They got called to a hostage situation, bloke barricaded in a house with his ex-wife and two kids. He will not come out so after time they assault, flash bangs and entry. My bloke is a lead from the front type so in he goes and gets two in the chest for his trouble, one square on the plate carrier, the other right on the edge. His blokes do their OODA loop and casevac him leaving the shooter and hostages.

Flat on his back in the meat wagon paramedics cut his gear and assault suit off him, and stick him with a drip whilst he is lying there in his shreddies. Short time later more gunfire and two of his blokes are carried into meat wagons, both with gunshots. He has seen this happening, stands up off the stretcher, pulls the drip out of his arm and apparently growled, “enough of this” in a way that cleared a path. He then, wearing only his shreddies, marched up to the house, walked in the door and shot the astonished shooter dead.

The way the police chief told it, everyone was just shocked, amazed, flabbergasted at this shreddy wearing Arnold type figure holding a pistol marching up to the house and just watched Speechless. Thats what he got his State Police medal of honour for.

ETA a correction: the medal of honour chap had 24 years service with 22 in SWAT.

 

[RaiderBoat]

There are agencies that allow military ribbons. Some everyday uniform, some dress only.
NYPD has its own ribbon stack attached to the badge via a holder that looks like utter crap. It hangs off the uniform.

Agencies usually do have a minimal amount of ribbons; Medal of Valor, Life Saving, things like that which are worn Above right pocket. No big rows and rows though. We tend to look askance at that military stuff as it doesn’t pertain to Policing.

SWAT/MOTORS/FTO/EOD crab/etc are usually pins worn above name tag above/on right pocket. I wore my SWAT pin below my pilots wings that way. Usually they are miniatures, not full size except on our flight suit Velcro ultra cool guy patch.

 

[Sam The Bam]

Might be best to ask @Sam The Bam , or @RaiderBoat if they can wear them on their formal blues.

I am acquanted with a police medal of honour winner (dit to follow) and do not recall seeing that on his working uniform. lots of the local lads are ex-military, and they just wear police insignia.

Police insignia I have seen are: Motors qualified (motorcycle), this is a winged wheel; SWAT qualified, this is an AR rifle type badge. I am pretty sure there is an EOD badge too but, the only bloke I knew who had done the course and worked at the job wore two hats. His day job was as a plainclothes so I never saw him in uniform so I could not say what his badge looks like - though the department presented me with a tactical team patch as a memento.

The NYPD have their own peculiar to them (I have not seen anyone else doing it) wearing of police medals/awards. If you watch Blue Bloods you will notice that above their badge they have column of what looks like enamel medal ribbons. These are internal departmental medals for a variety of things from having been on the ground at 9/11, good conduct awards, and the departmental medal of honour. There is a joke around the number of medals some have referring to them as: The too stupid to join the fire brigade medal, the got divorced last year medal, most traffic tickets in a month medal. One yhing I have noticed about the NYPD is that they seem to get issued with proper swinging on ribbon medal but, then even on their best parade blues they only seem to wear ancouple of swingers and the rest of their awards shown in enamel form over their badge.

I used to regularly shoot with a Texas Ranger who had been a full career army Ranger, in his collection he had a bronze star, silver star, and purple heart. Nowadays at 68, due to post retirement boredom, he works as a courts police officer, in uniform, and only wears his court issued badge and his Texarrse SWAT qualification badge.

So, nope I do not ever recall ever seeing a plod here wearing any military awarded ribbons, or insignia. Though there is a niggle in the back of my brain box saying, “oi plonker there was that one bloke wearing blues with the CMH around his neck”…..I can’t place it though.

The medal of honour dit: This was told to me by the best mate of the medal winner, who is himself a city police chief. The award winner was in the State Police, is a tad shorter than me and I’m 6’1” but he does weights so he is a big b’stard. Before he retired he was about as close as it gets to badgeman of the particular State Police he was in, having spent most of his 30 years on the State SWAT team.

They got called to a hostage situation, bloke barricaded in a house with his ex-wife and two kids. He will not come out so after time they assault, flash bangs and entry. My bloke is a lead from the front type so in he goes and gets two in the chest for his trouble, one square on the plate carrier, the other right on the edge. His blokes do their OODA loop and casevac him leaving the shooter and hostages.

Flat on his back in the meat wagon paramedics cut his gear and assault suit off him, and stick him with a drip whilst he is lying there in his shreddies. Short time later more gunfire and two of his blokes are carried into meat wagons, both with gunshots. He has seen this happening, stands up off the stretcher, pulls the drip out of his arm and apparently growled, “enough of this” in a way that cleared a path. He then, wearing only his shreddies, marched up to the house, walked in the door and shot the astonished shooter dead.

The way the police chief told it, everyone was just shocked, amazed, flabbergasted at this shreddy wearing Arnold type figure holding a pistol marching up to the house and just watched Speechless. Thats what he got his State Police medal of honour for.

Nah not in our lot, Police medals only.

 

[wasteofrations2]

Might be best to ask @Sam The Bam , or @RaiderBoat if they can wear them on their formal blues.

I am acquanted with a police medal of honour winner (dit to follow) and do not recall seeing that on his working uniform. lots of the local lads are ex-military, and they just wear police insignia.

Police insignia I have seen are: Motors qualified (motorcycle), this is a winged wheel; SWAT qualified, this is an AR rifle type badge. I am pretty sure there is an EOD badge too but, the only bloke I knew who had done the course and worked at the job wore two hats. His day job was as a plainclothes so I never saw him in uniform so I could not say what his badge looks like - though the department presented me with a tactical team patch as a memento.

The NYPD have their own peculiar to them (I have not seen anyone else doing it) wearing of police medals/awards. If you watch Blue Bloods you will notice that above their badge they have column of what looks like enamel medal ribbons. These are internal departmental medals for a variety of things from having been on the ground at 9/11, good conduct awards, and the departmental medal of honour. There is a joke around the number of medals some have referring to them as: The too stupid to join the fire brigade medal, the got divorced last year medal, most traffic tickets in a month medal. One yhing I have noticed about the NYPD is that they seem to get issued with proper swinging on ribbon medal but, then even on their best parade blues they only seem to wear ancouple of swingers and the rest of their awards shown in enamel form over their badge.

I used to regularly shoot with a Texas Ranger who had been a full career army Ranger, in his collection he had a bronze star, silver star, and purple heart. Nowadays at 68, due to post retirement boredom, he works as a courts police officer, in uniform, and only wears his court issued badge and his Texarrse SWAT qualification badge.

So, nope I do not ever recall ever seeing a plod here wearing any military awarded ribbons, or insignia. Though there is a niggle in the back of my brain box saying, “oi plonker there was that one bloke wearing blues with the CMH around his neck”…..I can’t place it though.

The medal of honour dit: This was told to me by the best mate of the medal winner, who is himself a city police chief. The award winner was in the State Police, is a tad shorter than me and I’m 6’1” but he does weights so he is a big b’stard. Before he retired he was about as close as it gets to badgeman of the particular State Police he was in, having spent most of his 24 years on the State SWAT team.

They got called to a hostage situation, bloke barricaded in a house with his ex-wife and two kids. He will not come out so after time they assault, flash bangs and entry. My bloke is a lead from the front type so in he goes and gets two in the chest for his trouble, one square on the plate carrier, the other right on the edge. His blokes do their OODA loop and casevac him leaving the shooter and hostages.

Flat on his back in the meat wagon paramedics cut his gear and assault suit off him, and stick him with a drip whilst he is lying there in his shreddies. Short time later more gunfire and two of his blokes are carried into meat wagons, both with gunshots. He has seen this happening, stands up off the stretcher, pulls the drip out of his arm and apparently growled, “enough of this” in a way that cleared a path. He then, wearing only his shreddies, marched up to the house, walked in the door and shot the astonished shooter dead.

The way the police chief told it, everyone was just shocked, amazed, flabbergasted at this shreddy wearing Arnold type figure holding a pistol marching up to the house and just watched Speechless. Thats what he got his State Police medal of honour for.

ETA a correction: the medal of honour chap had 24 years service with 22 in SWAT.

I was under the impression that you were formally a cop on that side of the pond? The reason I ask is the US military seem to hand out medals with breakfast and I was curious about any crossover to police service. British police are permitted to wear military medals, a senior officer sometimes does a telly press conference etc in service dress with ribbons. The occasional GSM ribbon etc can be seen.

 

[Gunner82]

Meh. I will clarify a tad.

State police officers will wear their State arm patches for whichever department they are in - ie. State Trooper, or fish and wildlife, there are also some others.

Local county sheriffs deputies will wear their county sheriffs office patch.

Local city police departments will wear their city police department patch.

They pretty much all wear the stars and stripes above their department patches on both sleeves to indicate their pride in being an American.

As to sheriffs and police chiefs wearing stars on their collars, or epaulettes. The local county Sheriff being the senior law enforcement official in a county gets to wear the most stars, usually 4. Then the various city police chiefs in that county wear less stars, usually 2, or 3.

Strangely though, the top cop in Texarrse, the head of the state police uniformed arm, is only a Colonel..............go figure.

@Sam The Bam , having had a full state police career, may have some more light to shed on this.

I was under the impression that they had US flags just to remind themselves where they lived, the American grasp of geography being what it is.

 

[Sam The Bam]

I was under the impression that you were formally a cop on that side of the pond? The reason I ask is the US military seem to hand out medals with breakfast and I was curious about any crossover to police service. British police are permitted to wear military medals, a senior officer sometimes does a telly press conference etc in service dress with ribbons. The occasional GSM ribbon etc can be seen.

Different States and Forces makes for different rules. As I stated the other day, in Montana the only medals Police wear are any that have been awarded while being a Police Officer.

Besides, even if I had been allowed to mount non Police medals why the heck would I even want to.

 

[Sam The Bam]

Not dissimilar to the way in which law enforcement officers in the USA wear national patches despite never moving outside their patch (pun intended), especially with chiefs of police and sheriffs all seeming to qualify for four stars...

Jack

 

[Sam The Bam]

especially with chiefs of police and sheriffs all seeming to qualify for four stars...

Why do you think that the rank insignia that American Police Chiefs use is any different to say the British or Canadian systems of rank insignia?

There is a reason why Police Officers wear a US flag on their arms but I'll let you find out that one for yourself. Hell I'll bet that not many on here noticed that the flag worn these days on the arm is back to front!

 

[wasteofrations2]

Why do you think that the rank insignia that American Police Chiefs use is any different to say the British or Canadian systems of rank insignia?

There is a reason why Police Officers wear a US flag on their arms but I'll let you find out that one for yourself. Hell I'll bet that not many on here noticed that the flag worn these days on the arm is back to front!

I did ask a Marine about that in Bosnia. He told me that as the flag is worn on the right sleeve, it is reversed so that it doesn't look as though it is running away.

 

[wasteofrations2]

I did ask a Marine about that in Bosnia. He told me that as the flag is worn on the right sleeve, it is reversed so that it doesn't look as though it is running away.

He wasn't joking. I don't think he was, anyway.

 

[Dreamseller]

He wasn't joking. I don't think he was, anyway.

Variation I was told was that it symbolises always going forward.

 

[Sam The Bam]

He wasn't joking. I don't think he was, anyway.

Well if he wasn't joking he wasn't correct either unless that's what the Marines are teaching them.

 

[Sam The Bam]

Variation I was told was that it symbolises always going forward.

Nope!

 

[Dreamseller]

Nope!

It's what a US Army recruiter told me.

 

[Dreamseller]

Nope!

According to Army Regulation 670-1: ‘the star field faces forward, or to the flag’s own right. When worn in this manner, the flag is facing to the observer’s right, and gives the effect of the flag flying in the breeze as the wearer moves forward. The appropriate replica for the right shoulder sleeve is identified as the ‘reverse side flag’.’