FIT IN ’87 And young and clean and alert.
  • SEATTLE METROPOLITAN POLICE MUSEUM
  • FIT IN ’87 And young and clean and alert.
A succinct collection of antiquated photographs, crime artifacts, deadpan write-ups, and charmingly outdated communications equipment is housed at the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum in Pioneer Square. Apparel creeps in, too. There are dozens of patches and badges, and several historic uniforms showcased behind glass, though they're too infested with utilitarian details to bring a lot of thrills.

In the back room, a 1987 photograph of "The Nation's First Mountain Bike Patrol" is much flashier than the other displays. It shows two uniformed men posing before a cityscape. The cops are fit and young and clean and alert, and the sunlight surrounding them falls down like poured gold. In keeping with a certain formal dignity, they have classic button-up collared shirts with western-cut pocket flaps, muted navy tones, and long sleeves. But their upper and lower bodies are not the most perfectly matched pairs. The officers wear crisp short shorts accessorized with Velcro-close high-top sneakers, and their identical athletic-stripe, calf-length tube socks are lightly scrunched for a casual effect. The resulting ensemble imparts the perfect blend of visual spice and symbolic urgency.

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