Quote Originally Posted by Bill Moore View Post
I have always found it comical to see police officers switching into camouflage fatigues to conduct a raid. The value of doing so compared to putting on a vest that clearly identifies you as a police officer in an urban environment is questionable and maybe even counterproductive because of the mindset that may create. Great you look like a bush inside the crack house you just raided, and when you come outside and people see you look like a militarized police force reminiscent of Well's "1983." If you were doing a reconnaissance mission in the bush looking for signs of illicit activity that would make sense, and ideally the public for the most part wouldn't detect your activities.
Blending in may not be the point.

Back in the days when Philippine Army "Scout Rangers" wore all black with black berets (maybe they still do, haven't seen any in a while, mostly we get the regular units up here) I once asked what the point of it was, as it didn't seem very useful for concealment. I was told quite frankly that it wasn't about concealment, it was about intimidation: the "men in black" image and the identification of an elite unit wasn't meant to hide anyone, it was meant to scare the antagonists.