A Northumberland antiques dealer has donated a rare stetson-style police hat to the museum of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).
On November 30, inspector Jeff Martin of the Northumberland OPP met with Roy Cobbing, owner of Ray Cobbing’s Antique and Collectibles in Morganston, about six kilometres south of Warkworth in Trent Hills, to accept the donation of the wide-brimmed hat.
Martin has become aware that a police-issued wide-brimmed hat was being sold online. He reached out to the seller to discuss the uniform piece and the risks associated with citizens having access to authentic police uniforms and equipment.
As a result, Cobbing agreed to donate the stetson hat to the OPP, where it will be displayed in the museum at the OPP General Headquarters in Orillia. According to the OPP, this particular version of the stetson hat is rare and few were issued to officers.
Stetsons, also called “pony hats”, were part of the OPP uniform when the force was created in 1909. Officers also wore peak caps and winter fur caps, depending on where they were stationed or their rank. The OPP museum already has one of the only original stetson hats from that era.
By the mid 1920s, the stetson hats were gradually replaced by peaked uniform caps, worn with brass cap badges in the shape of a maple leaf. In 1997, the OPP reintroduced the stetson hat for non-commissioned officers, mainly because of concern officers were being exposed to ultraviolet rays.
In 2009, the OPP reverted to the peak caps, as officers found the wide-brimmed hats made it difficult to get in and out of cruisers and expressed a desire to return to the previous look.
