Even 30-year veterans at the Mandan Police Department can't remember wearing anything but sky-blue shirts offset by dark pocket flaps and epaulets. They'd experienced changes to the majority of their apparel, but the shirts were always a constant. But not for much longer.

In the last three decades, the Mandan Police Department's outward appearance has changed with new embroidered patches and redesigned badges to new-style lights and different decals on patrol cars. But the idea for new shirts didn't arise until Deputy Chief Dennis Bullinger noticed a trend at various planning and training meetings across the state. The traditional blue uniforms began to fade from North Dakota's police scene like bright colors after numerous wash cycles.

Bullinger liked the new color referred to as "LAPD blue" enough to petition Mandan Chief Dennis Rohr to make a change in Mandan, and the idea stuck. After reviewing more than six styles of pants and shirts, Bullinger found a fit. The basic style of the shirts and pants will remain the same, but the color has deepened to a blue dark enough to be mistaken for black.

The new color was passed around the police department to allow officers to give their input. With a positive response throughout, Bullinger has begun gathering sizes and will send in an order for 104 shirts and 57 pairs of pants in the next couple weeks. The pants will match the shirts and the inch-wide, sky-blue stripe will disappear.

"They're all right," Detective Dave Shipman said. "It's a nice change."

Three long-sleeved winter shirts, three short-sleeved summer shirts and two pairs of pants will be ordered from the Uniform Center of Bismarck at a cost of about $500 per officer. Mandan's seven detectives will only receive two shirts and one pair of pants. The expense of the uniforms are covered by the police department and the department also will pay for any uniforms damaged in the line of duty.

The old uniforms will be recalled and the worn uniforms destroyed to avoid the possibility of someone using them to impersonate an officer, and salvageable uniforms given to new recruits until they complete their training. Bullinger said a majority of the shirts and pants are nearing the end of their approximately three-year lifespan.

Bullinger said the new shirts will be more comfortable, even considering the summer sun, because they're a rayon and polyester blend rather than 100 percent polyester. He said the blend will allow the shirts to breathe, which is important because officers wear bullet-proof vests underneath their shirts.

Mandan officer Raymond Hoff said he had no problems with the old uniforms, but noticed another advantage to the new ones. "We can hide better," Hoff said. "These uniforms with the stripes on the pants you can spot a block away."

(Reach reporter Mike Albrecht at 250-8261 or cops@ndonline.com.)