Western tradition: Cowboy hats are now an option for Clark County sheriff’s deputies

Clark County sheriff’s deputies can now sport Western flair while wrangling justice.

This week, the sheriff’s office announced on social media deputies are allowed to wear cowboy hats during their shift — a tip of the hat to Western tradition.

“From the suburbs to the farmlands, we are proud to serve all of our Clark County community,” according to the agency’s post.

According to sheriff’s office spokesman Sgt. Chris Skidmore, cowboy hats were an approved part of the uniform decades ago. They came up this year when the department’s uniform committee — which includes deputies, sergeants and administrators — was brainstorming potential new fashion additions to pique deputies’ interest.

After some consideration, the administration gave cowboy hats a yee-haw of approval.

The new addition to the uniform rolled out July 1. Out of the 240-some department employees, Skidmore said at least 25 deputies had shown interest in wearing a cowboy hat while on duty.

“I think you’ll start to see more deputies wearing them as time goes on,” Skidmore said.

The hats are available in three different styles, with a fourth seasonal option. However, deputies must purchase their own hats.

In the nine years that Skidmore has been on staff, this has been one of the biggest uniform changes, except for when the department switched from tan shirts to black shirts, he said.

“People are excited about it. This is something different for us,” Skidmore said.