Leather Police Jackets

[RP McMurphy]

My 2 cents:

For the price of an aero, you could buy several vintage NYPD jackets. They regularly show up on ebay, and they're usually not that expensive. I've found them in thrift stores, online... you name it.

Next time you're in the NY area, you could look around local vintage shops, thrift-stores, and the like. I don't think they changed the design all the much over the years, so you could probably find one from the 50's or 60's that would work fine...

Also, if you are using it for service work, why not a mid-weight hide? FQHH tends to get really stiff in the cold. A softer hide might made it easier to wear/access gear...


Just my thoughts...

RP

 

[Tony No-Toes]

I'll be wearing as just a jacket. I like the button flaps for when I carry though. I've been looking at several vintage jackets as well but really like the heavy HH. I've sorta sworn of ebay but I'm sure there's a lot of good stuff out there. Granted, it will be stiff in the winter but I'm a fairly patient guy. I'd actually be using on a dirt bike from time to time as well too. I dig Austin! Getting hot now though. Good input...Thanks

 

[Tony No-Toes]

One more image

 

[andy richards]

Nice jacket, especially in FQHH. I like them too, but am reluctant to wear them just because of the "uniform" look. Also, keep in mind that used patrol jackets will possibly have stitches of removed pd patches. It certainly will have a vintage look though.
Andy

 

[JanSolo]

For such a heavy jacket I would recommend to add a two inch leather facing for the bottom inside hem. Do you need the eyelets for a badge or ID tag? And as usual I can highly recommend Aero's olive sateen gabardine for a lining. Tough and durable, but gentle and soft to bare skin (cotton drill can sometimes be too rough especially for bare elbows). It's also naturally water repellent, very easy to wear due to smooth surface and the colour looks just cool.

 

[Ed]

The gold/brass buttons really make it look like a uniform.
Nice jacket, but I think I would prefer hidden snaps.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

NYPD options

Jan, thanks for the reminder about the olive sateen gabardine and bottom inside hem - a must on whatever design I order from Aero. I've seen a few posts on members who've followed your suggestions and were very happy. I love FL. One can really hash things out in these threads.

I like the idea of taking a standard very functional design and tweaking it.
The buttons do stand out a bit. I might be tempted to go with something less flashy instead. I don't want to be mistaken for an imperial authority.
I have a picture somewhere of an Aero NYPD I found on a Japanese site that has different buttons that are more subdued. Japanese sites offer a lot of fitment pictures and tend to be very detail oriented which I like.

These patch pockets are false by the way and cannot be used. They are just sewn on and there's no real pocket there. For some reason I like that. I'm sure the lack of functionality probably really bothers some people which I can understand.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

I think I actually like the badge eyelets. Gives it a little character.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

Nice jacket, especially in FQHH. I like them too, but am reluctant to wear them just because of the "uniform" look. Also, keep in mind that used patrol jackets will possibly have stitches of removed pd patches. It certainly will have a vintage look though.
Andy

I actually did some searching to today. There are a lot of these jackets out there. Quite a few kales and for not too much money.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

My wife raises a good point: "definitely not a jacket for any occasion." I would like a nice Stockman too but left that out of our conversation... I only need one Aero but would like three or four like the rest of the people here.

 

[Navin323i]

I've been keeping my Aero jacket that's currently on order with an arrival date within the next few weeks a surprise, but after seeing your post here I'll "spill the beans" somewhat... yes, my Aero jacket to be is in fact the Aero NYPD jacket but heavily customized to make it even more unique.

Aero doesn't sell very many of these jackets... another plus for me since I like the uniqueness factor (blame it on my hobby of customizing cars where uniqueness plays a big role, lol).

So give me another few weeks and I'll be able to provide you with all the opinions and pictures you desire.

I come from a family of cops (my grandfather was the chief of police who died 3 years before I was born) so my jacket is special because it helps me honor him for his years of service to the law and to also honor him for being a good father to his family (my mom was the youngest of his 6 kids).

Navin

 

[Navin323i]

Jan, thanks for the reminder about the olive sateen gabardine and bottom inside hem - a must on whatever design I order from Aero. I've seen a few posts on members who've followed your suggestions and were very happy. I love FL. One can really hash things out in these threads.

I like the idea of taking a standard very functional design and tweaking it.
The buttons do stand out a bit. I might be tempted to go with something less flashy instead. I don't want to be mistaken for an imperial authority.
I have a picture somewhere of an Aero NYPD I found on a Japanese site that has different buttons that are more subdued. Japanese sites offer a lot of fitment pictures and tend to be very detail oriented which I like.

These patch pockets are false by the way and cannot be used. They are just sewn on and there's no real pocket there. For some reason I like that. I'm sure the lack of functionality probably really bothers some people which I can understand.

I wouldn't worry about anyone mistaking you for an imperial authority simply because of the buttons. It would be more problematic if you were to sew on police patches on the shoulder or actually display a badge in the grommet area on the chest.

Actually if you look on other police jackets you'll find that the chest pockets are false too just like what you see on the Aero NYPD jackets... I know because I did a ton of research on these style of jackets.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

Navin, very cool! Looking forward to the details. I really appreciate the FL and it's members. Thanks for spilling proverbial the beans. Good story to go with your jacket too. My father spent his collage years as a state trooper in Tennessee.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

In a somewhat similar vein...

I'm going through Aero for this jacket but I've enjoyed looking at some other models in as a reference for what's out there in terms of similar styles.

In a somewhat similar vein are these from LW and Langlitz:

http://www.lostworldsinc.com/images/HP40-8.jpg

http://www.lostworldsinc.com/images/Police1960s-3.jpg

http://www.lostworldsinc.com/images/RoadhouseSale-3.jpg

http://langlitzjapan.com/img_pro/photo/big_timberline_jkt03.jpg

 

[Navin323i]

Navin, very cool! Looking forward to the details. I really appreciate the FL and it's members. Thanks for spilling proverbial the beans. Good story to go with your jacket too. My father spent his collage years as a state trooper in Tennessee.

Great to meet you, Tony... and thanks for the kind words. Tell your father that I thank him for serving as an officer of the law (I make it a point to thank every officer or former officer that I come in contact with... it's the least that I can do).

I would have followed my grandfather's footsteps to become a police officer but my heart condition prevents me from serving. So instead I choose to "serve" by having become a member of a neat organization called Maryland Fallen Police Officers, which is an organization that helps the families of officers that were killed in the line of duty in the state of Maryland. The organization is run by officers and volunteers like myself who have a deep respect for them. It's also my way of thanking my grandfather who unfortunately never had a chance to meet me nor I him.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

Great to meet you, Tony... and thanks for the kind words. Tell your father that I thank him for serving as an officer of the law (I make it a point to thank every officer or former officer that I come in contact with... it's the least that I can do).

I would have followed my grandfather's footsteps to become a police officer but my heart condition prevents me from serving. So instead I choose to "serve" by having become a member of a neat organization called Maryland Fallen Police Officers, which is an organization that helps the families of officers that were killed in the line of duty in the state of Maryland. The organization is run by officers and volunteers like myself who have a deep respect for them. It's also my way of thanking my grandfather who unfortunately never had a chance to meet me nor I him.

Good to meet you too, Navin. I'll pass on the kind words and thanks. I won't push for any details on the Aero build so as not to ruin the surprise. It's enough for me to know there is a good upcoming reference for dimensions and mods.

Good to meet everyone else here too, by the way.

I got an email from Amanda today and the bi-swing back is a no charge option and the zip sleeves is just a small one. She also said that adding some extra length is of course no problem. I have some time before I order. I need to drop 10 lbs before I forever preserve my measurements in one of these beasts.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

Epaulets and Briefcases

Another reason I like this design is it lends itself well to the use of stitched down epaulets. I will be carrying a somewhat heavy leather briefcase (made by Ed Santoro/Walden Bags) and having the heavy HH epaulets will save wear on the should from this rugged bag and won't misshape the shoulder from prolonged carrying during the break-in period (I hope at least)... this may not be an issue at all so please correct me if I'm wrong. I've never had a HH jacket.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

Nickel plating on an Areo NYPD

I found that picture I mentioned earlier. Here's a shot with the nickel plated hardware:

A little more subdued I think.

 

[Tony No-Toes]

A little more detail:

 

[Navin323i]

Good to meet you too, Navin. I'll pass on the kind words and thanks. I won't push for any details on the Aero build so as not to ruin the surprise. It's enough for me to know there is a good upcoming reference for dimensions and mods.

Good to meet everyone else here too, by the way.

I got an email from Amanda today and the bi-swing back is a no charge option and the zip sleeves is just a small one. She also said that adding some extra length is of course no problem. I have some time before I order. I need to drop 10 lbs before I forever preserve my measurements in one of these beasts.

Thanks Tony! I appreciate your consideration in not pushing for more details about my jacket but I will say that I am definitely getting the bi-swing back so you'll be able to see how that looks with this jacket.