Seattle Police Manual

9.070 – Uniform & Equipment Advisory Committee

Effective Date: 11/28/2011

I. Approval Authority

A. The Chief of Police is the final approval authority in all matters relating to uniforms and equipment. The Uniform and Equipment Advisory Committee provides a consistent point of contact for submission of proposals, and for the Department to research and evaluate uniform and equipment items.

1. The term “uniforms” should be interpreted broadly to include any clothing worn routinely for on-duty purposes outside of a police facility that is intended to identify the wearer as an employee of the Police Department or a member of a Police Department Unit.

II. Responsibilities

A. The Uniform and Equipment Advisory Committee will be responsible for the following:

1. Researching and setting all technical specifications for uniform clothing and duty equipment items.

2. Conducting or coordinating all testing and evaluations of uniform and duty equipment items.

a. Independent on-duty testing or evaluation of uniform or duty equipment items should not be conducted.

3. Evaluation of the style and functional suitability of specific uniform apparel and duty equipment.

4. Making recommendations to the command staff regarding uniforms and equipment.

5. Other equipment evaluations as requested by the Command Staff.

III. Membership

A. The Captain of the Audit, Policy and Research Section, under the authority of the Chief of Police, will establish and coordinate the business of the Uniform and Equipment Advisory Committee. The Committee membership will be established as follows:

1. The core (permanent) members of the Committee will consist of:

a. Chair: Captain – Audit, Policy and Research Section

b. Vice Chair: Sergeant – Audit, Policy and Research Section

c. 3 Detectives – Audit, Policy and Research Section

d. Department Safety Officer

e. Quartermaster

2. Subcommittees will be formed with membership tailored to the proposal and an evaluation plan.

a. Subcommittees will be chaired by one of the three Committee members from the Audit, Policy and Research Section.

b. The Safety Officer and Quartermaster may be part of the sub-committee if deemed by the committee, or by command, to be helpful to the task it is assigned.

c. Additional ad-hoc members will be chosen as necessary from affected units in the Department. Selection of the ad-hoc members will be coordinated through the unit captains.

(1) The number of sub-committee members should be kept manageable, but should include representation that assures that input is obtained that is relevant to all units affected by the proposed change.

(2) An employee making a proposal for a uniform or equipment change will not be a member of the Subcommittee evaluating the proposal.

IV Meetings

A. The Core Committee will meet once per month on a schedule designated by the Chair.

B. Meetings may be cancelled at the discretion of the Chair if there are no agenda items to be discussed that month, or if there are only a few minor agenda items that can wait until the next meeting.

C. Meetings of the sub-committees will be scheduled as needed.

V. Submissions to the Committee

A. All proposals for changes to authorized uniforms or duty equipment, or for evaluation of problems with currently authorized uniforms and equipment, will be submitted to the Audit, Policy and Research Section. The proposal will be placed on the agenda for the next Committee meeting.

B. Proposals to the Committee may originate internally from Department employees, or may be made by vendors. Command Staff may direct the Committee to evaluate items at their discretion.

VI. Committee Procedure

A. Step #1 – Preliminary Evaluation

1. All proposals received will be placed on the agenda for the next Committee meeting. The Core Committee will discuss the proposal and make an initial decision regarding whether the proposal has merit to proceed to Step 2. The Committee may consult with Captains of affected areas prior to making a decision about whether to proceed.

a. All evaluations originating from the Command Staff will proceed to Step 2.

2. If the majority of the Committee determines that there is not merit to continue, the proposal will be considered declined.

a. If the proposal originated from an outside source (vendor) the decision to decline is final.

b. If the proposal was submitted by a Department employee, the person making the proposal may appeal the decision to decline in writing to the Deputy Chief of Administration. The Deputy Chief of Administration will concur with the decision to decline, or order the proposal to proceed to Step #2.

B. Step #2 - Evaluation

1. An evaluation plan will be developed. Any costs associated with the plan must be approved by the Uniform Committee Chair prior to proceeding. The plan should include a timeline, from what units ad-hoc members should be requested, and the objectives of the evaluation. The objectives may include, but are not limited to, answering the following questions:

a. Why do we need it?

b. How available is it?

c. Does it serve or enhance the need or mission of the affected units?

d. What are the associated costs to the Department and/or employees?

e. Are there any safety enhancements or concerns?

f. What is its durability?

g. Does it meet any desired appearance standards?

h. What individual input is there from the sub-committee members and/or the collective recommendation of the subcommittee?

2. A sub-committee will be created in accordance with section III above. The subcommittee will carry out the evaluation plan.

a. The Chair of the subcommittee will periodically report progress to the Sergeant of the Audit, Policy and Research Section (Uniform Committee Vice Chair) if necessary.

C. Step #3 – Findings and Recommendations

1. The subcommittee will report their findings and recommendations to the Core Committee.

2. If deemed necessary, the Chair may send the proposal back to the subcommittee with additional instructions for further work. Otherwise, the core Committee will add any additional recommendations deemed appropriate and forward a final report to the Chief’s Office via the Deputy Chief of Administration for one of the following actions:

a. Return the proposal to the Uniform Committee Chair with instructions for further evaluation.

b. Adoption of the proposal. In this case the proposal will be returned to the Audit, Policy and Research Section to prepare manual revisions, Directives or other necessary documents or publications.

c. Rejection the proposal. Notification will be sent to the Committee which will contact the originator of the proposal.