policewear

English

Etymology

From police +‎ -wear.

Noun

policewear (uncountable)

1. Clothing to be worn by police officers.
   • 1951 January 20, Fort Lauderdale Daily News, 40th year, number 113, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., page 5-A:

     SMART EISENHOWER JACKETS add 1951 stylings to uniforms of the Ft. Lauderdale Police force. Modeling the new policewear are left to right, Patrolman Doris Thompkins, Traffic Lieutenant Francis May and Patrolman Edward G. Elmer.

   • 1982 July 1, Michael Walker, “From Sing-Sing to the Mounties....”, in Nottingham Recorder, number 31, page 10:

     He has policewear from just about everywhere — the Spanish Civil Guard, French riot police, Canadian Mounties, airport police, dock police, shore patrols, military police . . .

   • 1983 December 24, Joshua Quittner, “Cops: Being One Is Difficult Enough, But Getting a Chance Is Tougher”, in Albuquerque Journal, 103rd year, number 358, section B, page 1:

     During the holiday season, while everyone else is ignoring work, the cadets will be getting physicals and shopping for policewear — breathing a sigh of relief after having tip-toed through the recruiters’ minefield of questionnaires, written tests, agility tests, oral exams and background investigations.

   • 1988 March 29, Bettina Fabos, “Walking a fashionable beat: Local police in step with style”, in Daily Hampshire Gazette, volume 202, number 172, Northampton, Mass., section “Spring Fashion”, page 11:

     But unfortunately the fashion credo holds for policewear just like everything else: Chic is not cheap. Ask a policeman.

   • 2007 June 30, James May, “Give the rozzers a little respect”, in The Daily Telegraph, number 47,298, page M12:

     The first sign of rot was the widespread adoption of fluorescent safety-style policewear. This gives the impression the personal safety of police officers is more important than pursuing the miscreant in a westerly direction and apprehending Mad Frankie in the act of doing over a pawnbrokers.