Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies are showing up to work this week with a little extra flair on top. Starting Monday, deputies received authorization to wear Western-style cowboy hats while on duty as the department gears up for Saturday's 3rd Annual Sacramento County Sheriff's Rodeo in Folsom.
The announcement came straight from the department itself. “Starting today, you may notice our Deputies looking a little more western while on duty as we gear up for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Rodeo this Saturday, October 3!” the Sacramento Sheriff
wrote in a post announcing the hats were live. The post announced a hat option for deputies, according to the
Sacramento County Sheriff's Office
.
The rodeo itself is set for Saturday at the Dan Russell Rodeo Arena in Folsom, with gates opening at 4 p.m. and main events kicking off at 6 p.m., per Etix. It's the third year running for the event. Tickets range from $40 for general admission up to $130, with a new 21-and-over Party Zone section added this year for $75, according to the event's official ticket listing.
Rodeo Proceeds Fund Youth Programs
The rodeo's ticket information encourages support for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Foundation.
Rodeo Queens are also part of the rodeo weekend.
Part of a Broader Western Trend in Policing
Sacramento isn't alone in embracing cowboy hats as a uniform option. In Placer County, the Lincoln Police Department amended its own uniform policy this past July to let officers optionally wear white straw or black felt cowboy hats on duty, a change meant to honor the area's agricultural heritage, according to Officer.com. Lincoln's City Council reportedly backed the move by wearing cowboy hats themselves during a council meeting.
Cowboy hats have also been approved as optional uniform headwear beyond Northern California. The Dallas Police Department formally approved cowboy hats as optional uniform headwear, framing the change as both a tribute to local culture and a recruitment tool, as Hoodline previously reported. Sacramento's own hat option was announced as the department geared up for its rodeo.
The department's rodeo is a distinctly Western event in Folsom.
