LAPD

[Mordarski J.A.]

Over the past couple of years, I have been perfecting the LAPD uniform that a close group of friends and I use at Halloween. Originally this started as an idea for a pistol team to attend Xtreme Tactics (XT) here in the city, and compete in their CQB league. Well, long story short, that never happened as we focused on the creation of our team and ultimately larger-scale Halloween plans. The result, however, is this..........



Here's what all went into it:

5.11 Tactical A-Class uniform shirt (Poly-Rayon)
5.11 Tactical A-Class uniform pant (Poly-Rayon)
Magnum Stealth II duty boots
Gould & Goodrich leather duty belt
Gould & Goodrich leather belt keepers
Gould & Goodrich leather key ring
Safariland Model 070 holster (SIG Sauer P226)
Boston Leather handcuff carriers (x2, knock-off hinged cuffs in them)
Motorola leather radio carrier (with Motorola HT-750 FleetNet radio)
Uncle Mike's Mirage-plain flashlight carrier (Surefire 6P)
Custom PR-24 carrier (mod between a leather belt keeper and D-Cell MagLite ring)
Safariland Model 77 magazine carrier
LAPD Series 6 badge (featured on shirt)
LAPD buttons (featured on shirt)
LAPD Expert Shooter award (featured on shirt)

All told, this project ran approximately $600 - $700....but the response from five years of Halloween with the costume made it all worth it.

[Copcarman]

Looking nice! I was looking to making an NYPD/LAPD uniform m'self, and you just gave me a good deal of inspiration

[Mordarski J.A.]

I opted to go with 5.11 uniforms, but a good alternative (and cheaper) can be found at Squad Supply. Just look for LAPD spec uniforms, and go from there.

[PokerFace]

i dont want to be a picky person but allow me to point out sevral mistakes:

-LAPD use dark navy blue uniforms and not black

-LAPD dont use the SIGARMS P226 but the Berreta 92F or 92FS, Glock 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 34, 35, or several S&W. Cadets graduating are now receiving the Glock 22 as standard but can choose to carry any of those handguns as their service pistols. But the 92FS seems to be the more popular choice. SWAT are using the Kimber Custom TLE II aka Kimber LAPD SWAT custom II with Surefire light

-Flashlights are actually these big Maglites that i dont know the model and not Surefires

-If you want a larger weapon, LAPD use the Remington Model 870, Ithaca 37, Benelli M4 Super 90, HK MP5's with dedicated Surefire weapon light, and certain personnell can use an AR15 variant. LAWAPD (LA World Airports Police Dept) also use these weapons and the HK UMP45 or 40 (not really sure), and M16 and M4 type AR15's, SWAT use the MP5, M4, Remington Model 700PSS, Remington 870 (for non-combat) Benelli M1, and M4 Super 90 (combat)

How I know this, is simply because I live in LA . hope this helps. Please dont take this offensively, its just that i have a huge admiration for these guys and just felt like sharing these pointers/detail with you guys.

[Frozen Tex]

That leather belt looks pretty worn.... you'd likely get reprimanded for poor upkeep of your gear...

And the California dude is right; midnight blue uniforms and no SIGs... maybe also go "Traffic" and add a Green Cross shoulder patch...

Not the bicycle one, mind you...

Maybe also go for on the old-style "swivel" hinged holster (still used by some officers apparently).

[PokerFace]

Holster wise, LAPD use mostly leather holsters, like the one above and i also managed to see a couple officers from LAWAPD using the Blackhawk SERPA holster the other day

another thing, if you want to do an impression for LAWAPD you can use Blue BDU's, dunno about the belts

[Mordarski J.A.]

Just a response......

-LAPD use dark navy blue uniforms and not black
The uniforms in question are coloured as "Midnight Navy", quite similar to LAPD Blue. Only after I acquired the 5.11 uniforms did I locate a few retailers that offered affordable LAPD Blue uniforms.

-LAPD dont use the SIGARMS P226 but the Berreta 92F or 92FS, Glock 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 34, 35, or several S&W. Cadets graduating are now receiving the Glock 22 as standard but can choose to carry any of those handguns as their service pistols. But the 92FS seems to be the more popular choice. SWAT are using the Kimber Custom TLE II aka Kimber LAPD SWAT custom II with Surefire light
Entirely correct. While I do have a Beretta holster on hand, I still prefer using my SIG Sauer P226. That all goes back to my firing the P226 live on a range; it had such a beautifully smooth trigger pull that I could not find in any other pistol I've tried. I briefly contemplated the Kimber LAPD SWAT Custom II pistol, however that is an entire project that I've placed on hold for a bit. I did own a Beretta for a while, but sold it off earlier this year.

-Flashlights are actually these big Maglites that i dont know the model and not Surefires
Again, my personal choice for a flashlight. Sufficed to say, it is by far the best light I've ever used, thus my use here. As for the MagLite, I'm sure they'd be carrying either the 2D or 3D style. Anything larger than that is just a weapon as it doesn't have any better lighting capability.

-If you want a larger weapon, LAPD use the Remington Model 870, Ithaca 37, Benelli M4 Super 90, HK MP5's with dedicated Surefire weapon light, and certain personnell can use an AR15 variant. LAWAPD (LA World Airports Police Dept) also use these weapons and the HK UMP45 or 40 (not really sure), and M16 and M4 type AR15's, SWAT use the MP5, M4, Remington Model 700PSS, Remington 870 (for non-combat) Benelli M1, and M4 Super 90 (combat)
I've actually got a full-stock CA B&T MP5A4, but I did not bring it out for use in the photos. Especially since you'd normally only see a shotgun in an average cruiser car. If I could locate a retailer who could bring in the Maruzen (I think they made it) Remington 870 that is full metal, I'd definitely have a shotgun for photo use and game use.

How I know this, is simply because I live in LA . hope this helps. Please dont take this offensively, its just that i have a huge admiration for these guys and just felt like sharing these pointers/detail with you guys.
I've had a huge interest in the LAPD for some time, to the point where I've looked into their standards for hiring (yes, as a Canadian I could apply.....sweet!). While the majority of the uniform can be pieced together, like many others I opted to substitute some items for my personal preferred carry.
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Part of my issue was locating key information regarding certain items. For example, while the swivel holster is still an accepted holster for Los Angeles, I could not find anywhere which definitively stated that it was the current issue holster. I know the Safariland 070 is authorized for CHP, and the Safariland 280 is the sole holster for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, but couldn't find anything stating the specific model used by LAPD members.

All this said, if you know of any specifics, please PM me so I can incorporate them. I prefer to be 100% authentic as my intent is to pay homage to the men and women who serve the public.

[Mordarski J.A.]

Originally Posted by Frozen Tex

That leather belt looks pretty worn.... you'd likely get reprimanded for poor upkeep of your gear...

And the California dude is right; midnight blue uniforms and no SIGs... maybe also go "Traffic" and add a Green Cross shoulder patch...Not the bicycle one, mind you...

The belt is "worn" because it got chewed up by me removing all the equipment often enough. I intend to replace it, unless I can somehow repair it (I'm not exactly holding out much hope for that). Good thing I'm the "Sergeant", no one to jack me up :P

The majority of Traffic Division members I've seen (and I could be wrong) are normally motorcycle officers. As much as I would love to jump on a motorcycle officer's uniform, I think I'll save that for CHP and do a "CHiP's" montage LOL.

[Mordarski J.A.]

Ha ha, and as an after-thought, I'm a little amazed that no one pointed out that I'm not wearing proper LAPD chevrons either - they're slightly modified CF Sea Cadet ranks! If anyone knows where one could locate some authentic LAPD chevrons, I'd be very appreciated.

[Frozen Tex]

Originally Posted by Mordarski J.A.

The majority of Traffic Division members I've seen (and I could be wrong) are normally motorcycle officers. As much as I would love to jump on a motorcycle officer's uniform, I think I'll save that for CHP and do a "CHiP's" montage LOL.

No, Traffic section also drive cars; they just concentrate on moving violations and don't bother with domestic disputes and nuisance calls. As for the swivel holster, it's no longer "issue", but something an old timer would hold onto, and something some use with a "dressier" uniform, like if you go for the long-sleeve shirt with tie (tie should be black over the midnight blue uniform). You could also maybe get hash-marks for the long sleeves. Look like a veteran officer!

[Mordarski J.A.]

That's actually what I've done with my NYPD uniform. However, similar to the LAPD rank chevrons, the services bars or "hash marks" are somewhat difficult to come by. I've found them on only two sites, and neither sold to the open public.

[beastor]

Very cool uniforms! they look impressive. I also fancied starting a set (NYPD foot patrolman) but I have to admit I had no idea where to start!

[Mordarski J.A.]

The interwebs are an amazing and wonderful resource.....I started with Google searches for photos, eBay, and that led me to the many contacts I currently have.

[BootYourFace]

Hahaha so awesome Blinky. Too bad Winnipeg didn't have more urban setting places. Do some cops and robbers..

[McKay]

Nice to see this again, I remember you showing up at Keycon with it and arresting my girlfriend.