Street beat style

Community police officers who patrol on foot or bicycles have unique uniform needs. A team from Ryerson's School of Fashion, led by professor Sandra Tullio-Pow, successfully won a contract to assess and propose recommendations for the uniform worn by the neighbourhood officers in the Toronto Police Service.

A new design separate from the standard uniform was needed, as the officers who ride bikes or patrol on foot have different requirements than officers who are primarily in vehicles.

The Ryerson team completed a detailed review and assessment of the uniforms and then held multiple focus groups with officers to get feedback about fit, wear and concerns. The process included ongoing feedback on the new designs. Officers even came to Ryerson's textile lab with their bicycles, riding through hallways, to help assess the designs.

"There are a number of uniform manufacturers in the marketplace, and many people who wear uniforms. What's missing is the interface between what a manufacturer produces and what people need to be able to work effectively," said professor Tullio-Pow.

The Ryerson team set to work and produced multiple prototypes, including new shirts with long and short sleeves made of a wicking, breathable fabric, trousers that convert into shorts, a soft-shell jacket and a hi-vis jacket. Design innovations included items like reflective strips, two- and four-way stretch fabrics with UV protection, redesigned pants that improve comfort and function when mounting a bicycle, clear panels for visibility in the hi-vis jacket hood and more.

So many occupations wear hi-visibility vests and jackets now, and that makes it important to consider the identity branding required to easily distinguish the uniforms of the Toronto Police Service. People in law enforcement need to be visually identifiable as police officers, said professor Tullio-Pow. In addition to addressing the functionality of the uniforms, the design had to incorporate the police branding requirements while also enhancing the image of officers as approachable to members of the community.

The team of design researchers from Ryerson's School of Fashion, led by professor Tullio-Pow, included Kirsten Schaefer, Pui Yee Chau, Lucia Dell'Agnese, Tanya White, Jennifer Dares, Diana Lee and NanHee Kim.

Professor Tullio-Pow is part of the Centre for Fashion Diversity and Social Change now housed at The Catalyst.

The uniform prototypes started being wear-tested by officers through the seasons in summer 2018, with feedback from the field guiding future tweaks to the designs. Wear-testing will conclude this spring, and the results and final proposed prototypes will be presented to Toronto Police Services' clothing and equipment committee in May.

Funding for this project was provided by the Toronto Police Service.