What jacket is this? I must find one!

[Peacoat]

Could lend validity to it being aftermarket/personal addition.

Perhaps. That was the first thing I thought of. But I know that in agencies of any size, officers stand for inspection at roll call at the beginning of their shift. All uniforms and accessories must be standard. In Nashville, the supplier is Greene's Millary and Police on Lebanon Road. Everything sold there for Nashville officers is approved for use by the MNPD. This ensures standardization.

Now, it could be that some smaller agencies are more lax in their standardization. Or it could be that this jacket was transitioned to police use when a motor unit was first started in a department, and standardization wasn't important. What was important was getting the motor unit up and running.

This jacket is an old jacket, so it is likely we will never know its provenance. But we do know it was probably used as a motor officer's jacket at some point in its life. And that the badge holder was probably an after market addition.

 

[Guiltytyler]

Perhaps. That was the first thing I thought of. But I know that in agencies of any size, officers stand for inspection at roll call at the beginning of their shift. All uniforms and accessories must be standard. In Nashville, the supplier is Greene's Millary and Police on Lebanon Road. Everything sold there for Nashville officers is approved for use by the MNPD. This ensures standardization.

Now, it could be that some smaller agencies are more lax in their standardization. Or it could be that this jacket was transitioned to police use when a motor unit was first started in a department, and standardization wasn't important. What was important was getting the motor unit up and running.

This jacket is an old jacket, so it is likely we will never know its provenance. But we do know it was probably used as a motor officer's jacket at some point in its life. And that the badge holder was probably an after market addition.

I appreciate that observation and the historical reference. I may never know what that jacket is but you’ve all opened my eyes to what to look for and I am grateful.