# Police officers shouldn't wear camouflage **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 26, 2026, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052 "2026-01-26T19:14:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/21 "2026-01-27T13:56:39Z")
> [@bump](#): > > All I was trying to say is that there’s a possibility that those guys who _are_ basically providing the lethal force part of law enforcement might have a legitimate reason for camo as part of that. How does wearing camo help you fire a rifle accurately? In any event, surely special operations requiring camouflage constitutes about a thousandth of one percent of police work. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/22 "2026-01-27T16:00:02Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Anyway, he was saying that it’s not uncommon for VIP type situations like the Super Bowl for there to be snipers deployed But in those circumstances camouflage is absolutely the last thing you want. Seeing as a potential assassin will be trying to camouflage themselves you really don’t want your police snipers to look like them. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/23 "2026-01-27T16:54:13Z")
Not really. The cops all know where each other is. Or should. The guy who’s not where a policeman is known to be is _probably_ an intruder / threat. There is urban camo pattern clothing which _might_ have legit use for police snipers in mass crowd situations that might attract mass shooters. But that’s about it, and the incremental loss of effectiveness by banning camo always and ever for all forms of law enforcement would be a teeny rounding error in exchange for starting to roll back the forces of Fascism. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/24 "2026-01-27T17:11:06Z")
The militarization of law enforcement is very troubling: wearing BDUs and tactical shit, military-type titles, military-surplus hardware, military-style talk & demeanor, etc. The reason is that they think they’re “at war,” and _love_ playing army. It’s cosplay, but with deadly consequences. I have a couple acquaintances who are in law enforcement. I wouldn’t say they’re bad people, but I definitely detect an “us against them” attitude when they’re discussing their job. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/25 "2026-01-27T17:58:06Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I definitely detect an “us against them” attitude when they’re discussing their job. What irritates me somewhat irrationally is when cops talk about “civilians”. _They’re_ civilians too. Civilians are specifically not members of the military. Also, there’s definitely a certain “us vs. them” attitude- everything I’ve heard, read, or seen makes me think that today’s cops view the world as a fundamentally dangerous place, and that anyone who’s not a cop or part of a cop’s family is inherently part of “them”, even if we’re otherwise upstanding citizens in every respect. That does jibe with the behaviors seen by cops where they treat nearly every public interaction as a dangerous one, and why they’d be so eager to be militarized. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/26 "2026-01-27T18:21:01Z")
Well put. The cop mindset is extremely simple. It has nothing to do with serving. It has nothing to do with protecting. It has nothing to do with justice. It has nothing to do with peace-keeping. The mindset completely revolves around “officer safety.” A cop literally believes he is at war, and _ **everything** _ is a threat unless proven otherwise. The level of paranoia is off-the-charts (to the point of becoming delusional), everyone is out to get them, and so every day is an exercise in survival. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/27 "2026-01-27T18:41:19Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I definitely detect an “us against them” attitude when they’re discussing their job. I think the job both attracts those that already have that world view and cultivates it in those that don’t. I haven’t known a lot of cops - half a dozen or so - but they all had it eventually. My best friend’s dad was a cop, and he viewed EVERYBODY with suspicion. It was his default mode, he couldn’t (or wouldn’t) turn it off. By the time my friend was in his early 20s, he realized his dad was kind of an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/28 "2026-01-27T21:22:09Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > The mindset completely revolves around “officer safety.” I dated a cop once and this could not be more accurate. It was something their superiors told them, too: all that matters is coming home safe. Serving the public wasn’t something she ever once spoke about. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/29 "2026-01-27T21:32:22Z")
If that’s all that matters, wouldn’t the simple solution be to just stop being a cop? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/30 "2026-01-27T21:46:41Z")
Excellent point. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2026, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/31 "2026-01-27T21:47:01Z")
You would think. But cops remain cops for two reasons: 1. They’re a member of an exclusive gang. 2. They have a sadistic side, and enjoy being bullies & tyrants. Here’s what I don’t understand: for first-world countries, why does this seem to be exclusive to the U.S.? Correct me if I’m wrong, but Europe, Australia, etc. doesn’t seem to have the same problem. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/32 "2026-01-28T02:29:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If I see someone not in such a uniform breaking down a door, for instance, I should be able to assume that they’re a burglar and react accordingly. For the record, if you do shoot a burglar/kidnapper who turns out to be a law enforcement officer, a jury decides whether your mistake of fact was reasonable. Assuming the law enforcement officer doesn’t shoot you dead on the spot. …Yet another reason law enforcement should not use camoflauge patterns except in very limited capacities (e.g. game wardens). Solid color olive, navy, etc. should be fine in most cases. No-knock warrants are actually banned or restricted in a few states, even Republican ones (Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky), but such laws do not apply to the federal government. After the murder of George Floyd and killing of Breonna Taylor, the House actually passed a [reform bill](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/7120/text) that would have tied federal funding for local police to a number of reforms, including requiring LEOs to knock and announce before executing certain warrants (drugs I think). But it couldn’t get through the Senate. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2026, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/33 "2026-01-28T02:53:11Z")
To play devil’s advocate, ICE’s use of army camoflauge patterns offers a powerful psychological advantage: - Intimidates immigrants who don’t know their rights - Blurs the line between soldier and police - Increases compliance through fear, especially for immigrants who already fear the state - Fear regime discourages people from immigrating to the US - Signals ICE is not your friendly neighborhiod police With some worldviews, the end justifies the means. (This justification is, IMO, illegal, publicly indefensible, and unethical, but probably accurate.) ~Max ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/34 "2026-01-29T01:54:57Z")
isn’t that what happened recently, I think Ohio (I could be wrong) where unidentified no-knock cops burst into home (which turned out to be wrong address) and when tenant correctly defended himself, was killed as well as wife upstairs shot ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/35 "2026-01-29T15:43:13Z")
> [@fedman1](#): > > plus since people like militias, I read that as “plus-size militias”, which is a good descriptor of the ICE-ICE. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/36 "2026-01-29T17:43:21Z")
While on the topic, replace that damn Black and White American flag with the blue stripe on squad cars with PROTECT AND SERVE again. Unless of course they’ve given up that mission statement. We KNOW The Badge backs The Badge, that’s the problem. This public discussion is between citizens about _them_. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/37 "2026-01-29T20:36:36Z")
> [@Sitnam](#): > > While on the topic, replace that damn Black and White American flag with the blue stripe on squad cars with PROTECT AND SERVE again. That is the motto of the LAPD, which still puts that on their units- police cars. The NYPD has Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect. Why would other police forces use the LAPD motto? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/38 "2026-01-29T20:46:24Z")
Do any police forces use the thin blue line flag as their _official_ logo? I know lots of cops like to stick their own decals and bumperstickers of it on their vehicles, but is it actually used as the actual symbol of the police force anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/39 "2026-01-29T20:51:23Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Do any police forces use the thin blue line flag as their _official_ logo? I do not think so, and in fact the LAPD has banned it. But sure, lots of cops have such as a bumper-sticker. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2026, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052/40 "2026-01-29T21:02:27Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@Sitnam](#): > > > > While on the topic, replace that damn Black and White American flag with the blue stripe on squad cars with PROTECT AND SERVE again. > > That is the motto of the LAPD, which still puts that on their units- police cars. > > The NYPD has Courtesy, Professionalism, Respect. > > Why would other police forces use the LAPD motto? The actual motto of LAPD is “To protect and to serve” (**[Los Angeles Police Department - LAPD Online](https://www.lapdonline.org/)**). I have lived in several jurisdictions whose police motto is very similar, with “protect” and “serve” somewhere in there in some order. The PD of my current burb of ~50K people uses “to protect and serve”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/police-officers-shouldnt-wear-camouflage/1027052.md?page=3)