Walking Dead Sheriff Uniform

Skruffy

Well-Known Member
Inspired by TheMechanic's fantastic Walking Dead / King County, Georgia Sheriff patch and hat runs, I decided to put together my own Shane Walsh costume, like this:
Copy%20of%20Walking%20Dead_Shane%20Walsh%2001.jpg


I figured it would be a simple matter of googling to find the right uniform from a police supply place, place the order, and be mostly done with it. Nope. Finding the exact shirt and pants was quite a research effort... then finding the correct colors has been an even greater challenge. The King County (which is a fictional county, in case you were wondering) Sheriff department uses what looks to be a tan or pinktan shirt (that the official color name from some manufacturers) with brown pocket flaps and brown epaulets. The pants are brown with a tan or pinktan stripe up the leg.
Walking%20Dead%20Grimes%2007.jpg
Walking%20Dead%20Grimes%2006.jpg



It turns out that this particular uniform doesn't exist in any online inventory anywhere, as far as I was able to discern. It has to be special ordered from a police supply place, and pretty much all of those require the information of the department you are ordering for and what your police ID number is. I can certainly understand their hesitation before making it easy to impersonate an officer of the law, but part of the fun of this hobby is the thrill of the hunt!

I lurked on police uniform discussion forums to get the names of some of the uniform makers used by real police units around the country. I called half a dozen or more uniform makers to see if I could get some more information or purchase from them directly (nope). Pretty much every manufacturer pointed me to the same place: a massive police supply distributor here in Houston that handles many of the local and regional police, fire, and EMS needs from here to Texarkana.

I popped in for a visit with my patches in hand and screenshots at the ready. I made sure that I went at a time when I'd just gotten off from work so I was still wearing my corporate work attire. It never hurts to look your best when making a first impression :). It was an amusing experience when the guy behind the counter asked what department I was with after I explained what I wanted. "Uhh, I'm actually not with any department. I'm a part of this online community called the Replica Prop Forum..." Yeah, that was a fun conversation. Thankfully the guy was familiar with the show, as were several of the cops who were there picking up stuff. I showed off my patches and screenshots and that really started to get the point across that I wasn't looking for a Halloween costume and I wasn't looking to go play fake-cop.

Hours go by as I explain my case to every middle manager on my way up their corporate ladder until I wind up in the owner's office. Thankfully he was an agreeable guy and, since he is also a collector of esoterica, understood what I was trying to accomplish. It also didn't hurt that that uniform is not used anywhere in this region... but that also meant their stock was limited. The owner explained that they get a couple of people a month who are not police officers and want police uniforms for one reason or another. They are routinely turned down. I was told that some police supply stores won't so much as sell a pair of shoes to someone without proper police identification. I managed to convince him to work with me, though. I'd like to say I used a degree of social engineering on him, but that implies deception. I was honest throughout, and I think that since I was patient, articulate, and had a clear goal in mind helped put him at ease. Oh yeah, and I had to let them Xerox my driver's license and sign a written form that essentially boiled down to "I solemnly swear that I will be good."

But, after all that effort, I'm quite pleased with the results:
DSC_5074.jpg
DSC_5076.jpg

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The owner is willing to help me procure a badge, too. The only problem is that none of the blanks immediately available are a perfect match. He's going to check with some other badge makers and see what he can find out, though :). The backup plan badge is pretty darn close, though. It would be an exact match for the real life Gwinnett County badge, which the patches (though not the uniform) are based on. Here is a real life patch, for comparison:
Walking%20Dead%20Patch%20Real%20Life.jpg


Now I just need that badge, the collar pins (I have a good idea on those...) and the duty belt and I will be all set!
 
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Good start on the WD Kng County uniform. Am tryng to do similar myself, but being in the UK has added problems. The collar insignia i thought initially were these
!B4rsQbw!mk~$(KGrHqZ,!i4EydT3tmMtBMq0P(HkPg~~_12.JPG

but now think these look more suitable:
q172.jpg

Both sourced off Ebay, which is where I got my shirt. Is your's one with a zip front and false buttons?

While waiting for the second run of shoulder patches, am looking at the chest badge, through on-line police badge design packages. There's nothing identical, but there are a few close ones. Will send a few tentative e-mails stateside. As I'm a serving UK cop, hope i can convince them to supply out of the country. There was a guy posted a replica he made on the patch thread. Perhaps he'll do a run.

On the duty belt, there are plenty on e-bay suitable. Make sure it's basket weave and two pronged for accuracy.

Will watch your thread with interest.
 
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Here's the best 'cap of the pin I can find:
Walking%20Dead%20Collar%20Pin.jpg


It's VERY similar to the seal of the US Army:
Collar%20Pin%20-%20US%20Army.jpg


But the wings are slightly different. These pins are affordable and easily sourced online, so that may be what I will end up going with... sometimes you've got to settle for "close enough".

But there's another pin which is a bit closer, IMO, and a little harder to find - a WWII US Air Force pin:
Collar%20Pin%20-%20US%20Air%20Force.jpg


Which still isn't exact (note the position of the eagle's head).

It also doesn't make much sense for either of the Sheriffs to be wearing a US military pin on a civilian law enforcement uniform... but what the heck do I know?
 
Oh, and yes, the shirt I got is a zip up with false buttons in the middle and real ones at the top and bottom to keep the flap closed. I like it! It makes putting it on a wee bit quicker.

And I agree on the duty belt - basket weave and 2 pronged. It looks like Rick Grimes has all basket weave accessories, but Shane Walsh has a mixture of basket weave and canvas accessory pouches.
 
Well, damn! I wish I'd found this before going through all that I did! I bow before your powers of internet search.

Oh, I hope you don't think I was belittling your costume. I've only just found that shirt and was going to start my own thread but I saw yours and figured I would mentioned it to help out others. I'm impressed at the lengths you went to to get your gear. I would have given up after the first company told me no. ;)
 
Oh, I hope you don't think I was belittling your costume. I've only just found that shirt and was going to start my own thread but I saw yours and figured I would mentioned it to help out others.

Oh no, not at all! It's this kind of information sharing that makes this such a great community!

I'm a little miffed (not at you, just in general) that I paid more than I otherwise could have in both money and time, but now no one else will have to suffer the same. I was going to work with the company and do a run of shirts, but it seems there's no need. I may still see about working with them on a run of pants, though. Perhaps name badges, too.
 
vey nicely done..need to get some zombies for Halloween and have them in a few photos with you..... Can't wait till this fall when season 2 starts.
 
Hi,

Great shirt :)

As for the Sheriff's badge if you google King County Washington Sheriff badge it is very similar - could it be converted from the Washington one?

Chris
 
Here are my first two prototype stars. I think the third try will be the charm as I found the correct "blank" used by the show. I also can make the collar insignia.

Here are my first two stars, the next one will be right:

Prototype12.jpg


Here are the collar emblems I can provide:

Eagle.jpg


This was a rush up, the manufactured ones are perfectly enameled. They are all metal, plated and with a clutch fastener.
 
eltee, those badges look very good. I was told by a member of the cast that they specially made the badge for the show - how/where did you find the correct blank?! WELL DONE, sir! I had a police badge supplier look through his inventory from 4 or 5 different badge makers and he couldn't find any exact matches.

I'm REALLY excited to see what your next one looks like. The one you have in the middle of the photo above looks to be almost there :D.

Here are the best 'caps of the badge I can find for now:
Walking%20Dead_S01E04_Rick_hat002.jpg"
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The inner circle appears black, but I think that is due to post-production digital color filtering. It's hard to tell whether it is the state seal of Georgia, but that certainly is what it should be, and the seal, as you have it, very definitely has a blue border.

I'm probably jumping the gun, but do you have any idea of a timeframe to when you might have some available? I was planning to have a couple made for myself in the Gwinnett County style, but I will hold off if yours will be available in the next month or so.

FYI, Gwinnett Co style:
Walking%20Dead%20Badge%20Real%20Life.jpg
 
One problem with the manufacturer I am using for the Walking Dead stars is 4-6 weeks. That's why I don't use them except for styles I can't get through my regular suppliers. My primary badge company has an 3 week turnaround. The manufacturer that makes the badges for where I work is 8+ weeks as it is a small, family owned business and they do alot of work by hand. The two prototypes shown were done by the company with the short turnaround time, but they do not have the correct blanks for the prop.
 
It really doesn't look like a really hard uniform to pull off.But the small stuff is alway the hardest. Would the walkie talkie be a hard prop to find? oh if you're looking for uniform shirts..You might want to try some of these vintage clothing stores. I have found some uniform shirts that look like that and they are fairly good condition.
 
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