Finally, a best-dressed contest that isn't based on who can wear the least amount of clothing without getting arrested.
The brown-shirted uniforms worn by troopers around the state have earned the Utah Highway Patrol the honor of "best-dressed" state police force in the country. The award is given out annually by the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors.
Best-dressed in police terms is far from the trendy world of hip-huggers and halter tops. There's not an exposed belly-button in this bunch.
Lest you confuse this honor with just another fashion contest, the judging panel for the annual award is made up of veterans in police uniform design, including a uniform historian who also works as a consultant in Hollywood.
Instead of trend-setting fashions, these judges are looking for neatness, projection of authority and practicality. Basically, the look that says, "I'm in charge, so do what I tell you."
"It's not like we say, 'It's a nice pair of pants, very sexy,' " said association director of communications Ernie Jackson. "There's a lot of science in it."
Today's officers require uniforms sturdy enough to handle the rigors of daily police work, yet polished enough to command the respect of those they stop on the street.
"If you're in a tailored, polished uniform, you have the perception of the community that you are in command," UHP Capt. Ken Betterton said. "I just find it hard to do that in a T-shirt or with a ball cap on."
As UHP's inspector, it's Betterton's job to ensure his fellow officers aren't perpetuating the stereotypes of doughnut-eating, spare-tire-toting cops with coffee stains on their uniforms.
"Fitness level plays a huge role," Betterton said. "You can't look like 30 pounds of crap in a 12-pound bag."
Betterton is the perfect man for the job — an ex-Marine whose uniform gives new meaning to the word meticulous. His belt buckle is always aligned with the buttons on his shirt, he keeps a special cloth in his desk to polish the brass on his uniform, his leather boots are always spit-shined, his campaign hat is always worn at the proper angle and his shirt and trousers are always well-pressed.
"I had a judge one time tell me I looked like a Gestapo agent," Betterton said.
Judges from the uniform manufacturers group reviewed photos of uniformed officers from around the country and apparently noticed a unique attention to detail in the UHP.
"It's reflective in the pictures," Jackson said. "They're nuts. I don't know if I have an iron that good."
In the 25-year history of the best-dressed contest, UHP has won the state level award both times it entered, the last in 1982. The competition is open to any state, county, city and specialized agency in the United States. See www.naumd.com for details.
Betterton teaches uniform appearance classes to new troopers, where he passes along tricks he learned in the military — like how to spit-shine your boot "until it flashes like gold," or how to "blouse" a shirt, a method used to keep a uniform from bunching up at the waistline.
Many of the tricks can bring a polished look even to those not in uniform.
"I can spit-shine a brand-new boot from the box . . . in five minutes," Betterton said. "You can make dress clothes look darn good doing the same thing."
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com