You may soon start noticing Dallas police officers’ uniforms looking a little more … Texan.
Last week, DPD announced via social media that officers are now allowed to wear cowboy hats while on duty.
Photo courtesy of @dallaspd on Instagram.
In photos posted to the department’s Instagram, members of the DPD’s Love Field Airport Unit can be seen posing in front of a sunset over a runway featuring Southwest Airlines planes.
A video posted on the account the next day begins with an officer walking through Cavender’s and leaving wearing one of the two approved cowboy hats. DPD spokesperson Corbin Rubinson told the Dallas Morning News that a winter felt and summer straw hat from Cavender’s were approved for officers to purchase as part of their uniform.
The video then shows a number of clips of DPD officers on duty donning their newly-approved headwear. The caption read, “Fitted for duty and ready to ride. Officers across our department are wearing our new cowboy hats with pride — where style meets service.”
This may be a part of the department’s recent efforts to increase recruitment numbers. The caption on the original post offered information on how to apply to join DPD and included a phone number to a DPD recruiter.
A city charter amendment passed last year mandates that DPD must have at least 4,000 officers by 2029. According to the DPD, 3,215 officers were employed as of June.
To aid the recruitment efforts, City Council agreed in June to allow DPD to hire applicants without a college degree.
