UNIFORM, POLICE

Description: NAVY BLUE WOOL SERGE JACKET WITH 4 POCKETS, SHOULDER EPAULETS WITH BUTTON. 3 CUFF BUTTONS EACH SLEEVE. 4 BUTTON FRONT. EACH BUTTON EMBOSSED WITH CROWN & "POLICE FORCE". OPEN PLEATED, 2 BELT LOOPS, SHOULDER FLASHES MARKED "CITY OF LETHBRIDGE POLICE FORCE" LABEL INSIDE POCKET "TIP TOP CLOTHES BY TIP TOP TAILORS", AND "MR. CONST. G. MICHELSON", "JUNE 30 52". 2 METAL SHOULDER TITLE BODY AND ARM LINING TORN & REPAIRED. SLIGHTLY STAINED. PER HISTORY BELOW, TWO NICKEL PLATE "POLICE" TITLES AND TWO NUMERAL EIGHTS "8" AFFIXED TO THE JACKET'S TWO SHOLDER EPAULETTES.

History: STANDARD UNIFORM JACKET OF CITY POLICE. JACKET WORN BY FORMER SUPERINTENDENT IN CHARGE OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS, GLEN MICHELSON, WHO BEGAN HIS CAREER WITH THE LETHBRIDGE POLICE FORCE IN 1950. IN HIS EARLIEST YEARS OF SERVICE, MICHELSON WAS ATTRACTED TO FINGERPRINT AND PHOTOGRAPHY WORK WHICH, LED TO HIS FOUNDING OF THE FORCE’S IDENTIFICATION BRANCH IN 1961. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON MICHELSON'S SERVICE HISTORY AND IDENT WORK, REFER TO THE PERMANENT FILE. MICHELSON WAS CONTACTED ON 20 JULY 2007 AFTER THE GALT OBTAINED A BOX OF VINTAGE, POLICE-SUPPLIED SURPLUS EPAULETTE NUMBERS. MICHELSON STATED THAT HE WORE THE SILVER NUMERAL “8” IN 1952. TWO EIGHTS WERE THEREFORE LOCATED FROM AMONGST THE NUMBERS IN THE BOX AND REAFFIXED TO THE UNIFORM’S EPAULETTES. ONLY ONE SET OF EIGHTS WAS AVAILABLE AND, THUS, IT IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN ORIGINAL TO THE UNIFORM IN 1952. ON 24 OCTOBER 2007, MICHELSON MADE PERSONALLY AVAILABLE TWO "POLICE" TITLES THAT WERE MISSING FROM THIS UNIFORM. THE TITLES, LIKE THE NUMERALS, WERE ATTACHED TO THE UNIFORM AFTER THE FACT AND MAY, OR MAY NOT, HAVE BEEN ORIGINAL TO THE UNIFORM IN 1952.