Nemo Regional Training

FEATURED ARTICLE

NEMO COOL FACTOR

BLACKHAWK!

Warrior Wear Performance Polo Shirt

For performance both on and off duty.

At last year’s Tactical Warrant School in Iowa, I noticed that most all of the staff were wearing 5.11 polo shirts. These shirts not only looked good, but seemed to be the standard by both the instructors and participants. After returning home, I ordered a 5.11 polo but opted to go with the Performance polo versus the 100% pique-knit Cotton.
Since that time, I’ve had three of their polo's for the last year, and for the most part; I have been... satisfied with the way they have held up. However, after placing a request to BLACKHAWK! for their Warrior Wear Performance Polo, I have taken a position of "on the fence".

In my own humble opinion, 5.11 has dominated the apparel market for years but I do not always tend to "follow the flock" in making my selections and tend to lean heavier on quality and performance versus the trend or "whats in".

Although my 5.11's have been long-lasting, comfortable and are obviously well made, I would have to say that the Warrior Wear Performance Polo's from BLACKHAWK! are as equally durable and comfortable.

Now, before I get a ton of hate mail as to "why" I am bashing 5.11….I am not. The 5.11 Tactical product line is currently the premiere apparel worn by federal law enforcement and police personnel.

Chances are, if you see someone in law enforcement wearing a pair of cargo pants or cargo shorts, they’re wearing 5.11's. On the other side of the coin, I have found that BLACKHAWK! offers many high quality products that are either comparable or at times exceed, the competition.

So, are the BLACKHAWK! Warrior Wear Performance Polo's perfect? Well, in my opinion, a couple of things could conceivably be modified for my personal tastes but after approximately 40 washes, they have held up exceptionally well and area great choice for both on and off duty performance.

My pros and cons:

First, I’d like to see an additional “cell phone pocket” added to the opposite side of the media player pocket. Initially, I did not anticipate utilizing this feature but have found it very useful in a variety of situations. Mainly the situations where your partner is listening to Country Classics at 2:00AM while doing surveillance on a house and you want to crank some "Static X" in an attempt to stay awake.

The Media Player Pocket on upper-left shoulder of the Warrior Wear Performance Polo, features a button hole for cord routing underneath collar and can also be buttoned down to secure valuable items. This is a really cool feature that I have gotten much use out of.

The second modification I’d like to see is the ability to order your shirt with LE screen printing, direct from BLACKHAWK!. Truthfully, I’d order more shirts with the ability to outfit them direct with POLICE or SHERIFF located on the rear and pocket.

Another great feature is the Hanging loop that can be used to hang sunglasses or other items, located just below the button area of the shirt. This is a very well though out feature and an option that I tend to miss when wearing "other" polo's.

Understand that very few pieces of clothing are perfect.

The BLACKHAWK! Warrior Wear Performance Polo at least makes the attempt by offering some unconventional options and a rugged polo, offered at a reasonable price.

With any luck, the good folks at BLACKHAWK! will read this piece and formulate my desired “modifications” into a "custom" polo for yours truly for a future *beta* test.

Stay Safe and Do Good Work!!

Darin Logue started his law enforcement career in 1998, but has been involved in fugitive apprehension since the mid-1990s. He is considered a skilled practitioner in the areas of narcotics, interview and interrogation, and fugitive apprehension and tracking. He is a frequent lecturer to criminal justice classes, as well as a guest speaker at many police academies and departments throughout the Midwest . Darin has served as one of Missouri 's youngest chiefs and is an active member of the law enforcement community, working with several agencies in Missouri . He conducts training seminars on undercover narcotics and fugitive apprehension and tracking and can be reached at www.nemotraining.com and lnirt@hotmail.com.