Cowboy hats: Deputies in Ada County, Idaho, sport their new straw cowboy hats. (Ada County Sheriff's Office)
BOISE, Idaho — An Idaho sheriff’s department is borrowing a page from its past. Cowboy Bandana
>> Read more trending news
For the first time in decades, deputies with the Ada County Sheriff’s Office will be allowed to wear straw cowboy hats while on duty.
“Sheriff Matt Clifford made this sartorial decision earlier this summer for a variety of reasons,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a Facebook post on Friday. For one, we are a Western state, and a tasteful cowboy hat is a perfectly acceptable classic uniform look.”
Clifford told KTVB that he made the decision after standing out in the sun.
“The final straw, no pun intended. The final straw was, I was out in Kuna at an event and the sun was just beating down on me,” Clifford told the television station. “I was wearing this uniform. I had a detective next to me who’s trying to hide under a baseball cap to keep the sun off of him. And I went out and bought a cowboy hat the next day, and I wore it to the Star Fourth of July hometown celebration.”
The cowboy hats are optional but can only be worn with the department’s traditional tan uniforms, the sheriff’s office said. Hatbands cannot have any logos, symbols or emblems. Deputies wanting to wear the cowboy hats must pay for them as the sheriff’s office will not foot the bill.
“A classic look to a Western sheriff’s office. And I mean, we’re a Western sheriff’s office and I’m always kind of like that,” Clifford told KTVB. “Look, I’m not a cowboy. In fact, I know very little about cowboy hats.
“I’ve had this one since the day before or just before (the) Fourth of July. I’m not a cowboy guy, but I got one that I thought looked OK, it fits my head.”
Camo Hat © 2023 Cox Media Group. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices.