The Ultimate Guide to the State Police Uniforms of All 50 States

What Do State Trooper Uniforms Entail?

State police uniforms across the nation have many similarities regarding the style of the shirt, pants, and accessories; however several state police agencies do have unique features that can only be found on their uniforms. One example is the Texas Highway Patrol, who wear cowboy hats as part of the official uniform instead of the Stetson, or how Rhode Island State Police are the only agency that wears brown leather shoes and accents rather than black. Common colors found across the uniforms include navy, black, khaki, dark brown, olive green, French blue, and French gray; and some have a splash of bright color such as red, purple, or yellow. Even though you’ll find a similar color palette used across the nation’s state trooper uniforms, no two state police uniforms are alike.

Which state police agencies do not wear a badge on the shirt of their uniform? Several states have one noticeable detail missing from their police uniform, the badge. The five states that do not require their state police officers to wear a police badge on their uniform are Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

How Do State Police Uniforms Differ in the Winter Versus the Summer?

Each state police agency has two uniforms they wear depending on the season, winter or summer, however Rhode Island’s police force is the only one that rotates through three uniforms with an additional Fall/Spring uniform. How do winter and summer uniforms differ for state police? The winter uniform includes long sleeves while the summer uniform allows officers to wear short sleeves. Most state police wear a stetson hat, the winter Stetson is made of warm wool while the summer Stetson is made of straw to stay cool. Winter uniforms tend to have more layers that can be added to the uniform to keep the officers warm, including a wool coat and tall leather boots if they officer chooses to wear them. Several state police agencies even switch between different colored pants depending on the season.

What Are State Police Known As Across the United States?

Did you know that less than half of U.S. states refer to its state police agency as “State Police”?  Across the country, state police are almost always referred to by one of four different terms. These four terms include “State Police,” “Highway Patrol,” “State Patrol,” or “State Highway Patrol.” The term “State Police” is used by twenty-three state police forces, “Highway Patrol” in fifteen states, “State Patrol” is used by seven states, and just three state police agencies use the term “State Highway Patrol.” Alaska and Hawaii are both unique in that their state police agencies are referred to as “Alaska State Troopers” and “Hawaii State Sheriff Division.” Hawaii is the only state with a sheriff division that has statewide jurisdiction.

The 23 States That Use the Term “State Police”:

• Arkansas State Police
• Connecticut State Police
• Delaware State Police
• Idaho State Police
• Illinois State Police
• Indiana State Police
• Kentucky State Police
• Louisiana State Police
• Maine State Police
• Maryland State Police
• Massachusetts State Police
• Michigan State Police
• Nevada State Police
• New Hampshire State Police
• New Jersey State Police
• New Mexico State Police
• New York State Police
• Oregon State Police
• Pennsylvania State Police
• Rhode Island State Police
• Vermont State Police
• Virginia State Police
• West Virginia State Police

The 15 States That Use the Term “Highway Patrol”:

• Alabama Highway Patrol
• Arizona Highway Patrol
• California Highway Patrol
• Florida Highway Patrol
• Kansas Highway Patrol
• Mississippi Highway Patrol
• Montana Highway Patrol
• North Dakota Highway Patrol
• Oklahoma Highway Patrol
• South Carolina Highway Patrol
• South Dakota Highway Patrol
• Tennessee Highway Patrol
• Texas Highway Patrol
• Utah Highway Patrol
• Wyoming Highway Patrol

The 7 States That Use the Term “State Patrol”:

• Colorado State Patrol
• Georgia State Patrol
• Iowa State Patrol
• Minnesota State Patrol
• Nebraska State Patrol
• Washington State Patrol
• Wisconsin State Patrol

The 3 States That Use the Term “State Highway Patrol”:

• Missouri State Highway Patrol
• North Carolina State Highway Patrol
• Ohio State Highway Patrol

The 2 States With a Unique Name For Its State Police Agency:

• Alaska State Troopers
• Hawaii State Sheriff

Show your support and pride in your state’s police force with a thin blue line pin. Wizard Pins carries a variety of police support pins, from the thin blue line ribbon to a thin blue line lapel hat tie, to several varieties that showcase the American flag with a thin blue line. We currently have the following state-shaped thin blue line pins in stock, contact us if you would like a thin blue line pin for your state.

• Texas State Shape Blue Line Lapel Pin
• Florida State Shape Blue Line Lapel Pin
• California State Shape Blue Line Lapel Pin
• Arizona State Shape Blue Line Lapel Pin
• Or create custom police pins with the help of our graphic design experts!

State Police Agencies in Order of the Year They Were Established