What? Are these pictures real? Were this hardboiled detective and streetwise gumshoe watching Chinatown or The Maltese Falcon when they got called by the no-nonsense police chief to investigate the park stabbing? The plot twist is that someone at the top of City Hall is behind the murders. I hope the corrupt district attorney doesn’t get involved!
(Obviously I am making a joke about panama hats, not the actual gruesome crime. Photos via AJC)
Tags: crime, detectives, gumshoe, men's fashion, panama hat
I’m glad I’m not the only person who had this reaction upon seeing these photos! At first I thought it was sort of silly, but now I’m pretty sure it’s awesome.
In the APD, you earn a fedora when you solve your first case as a detective. So there’s at least two guys who have solved…something.
I thought Thom was pulling our legs, so I Googled it. Sharing a link in case anyone else feels the same way: http://www.ajc.com/living/content/living/stories/2008/07/25/fedora_atlanta_police.html
Wow, you guys are the real super sleuths!
I have run across the hat squad a few times in the course of my job, and I always know that someone is dead when I see a fedora in the crowd.
And, I don’t think those are Panama hats; a true Panama features a tighter weave, and usually has a slightly broader brim. These hats look like your common straw variety — a Dobbs, perhaps, or maybe a Stetson? (Yes, I am showing off.)
By the way: On my desk this morning is a Dobbs Rogue, a fine straw hat.
This is fascinating. I thought they were movie set photos. And now I learn ATL dectectives actually wear fedoras! I want a new show just The Wire in ATL with awesome hats!!!
i knew you’d have something to say about that!
i saw it and was gonna make a joke in my email about cooking out in piedmont park, but thought it wasn’t cool to joke about murders.
Mr. Davis, you need to get a tiny hat. It will take up a lot less room on your desk and allow more space for your Royal Arrow typewriter and your ostrich feather quill pen and inkpot.
Drew, when are you going to stop taking credit for all my flashes of brilliance? Check your facts. Your email is timestamped 7:13 pm and I posted this at 6:23 pm. So I thought of it first.
Ms. T, I have a large desk; plenty of room for the Dobbs, or whatever I plop on my head that day. Besides, I prefer the moderate-to-generous brim over the tiny variety, ie, the “stingy.”
I gave up the quill pen, but will die before they wrest my Royal from me.
It’s great to see that hat culture is alive and well in Atlanta. If only I could pull it off…
To quote the Fedora Lounge (www.fedoralounge.com), “If a guy doesn’t have a lid, he’s not worth talking about.”
I’ve known about the hat squad for years. I think it’s sorta stylish in a city that lacks style. I also think it’s great to have something positive happening with the APD in light of the cut backs and funding cuts.