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FEATURE BLACKHAWK! Women's Apparel BLACKHAWK! Women's Performance Polo and Lightweight Tactical Pants tactical shirt and pants, Off-Duty Pant, Performance Polo, Strenia Top, Tactical Handbag and Pistol Belt. Very few companies are even making tactical shirts and pants for women. BLACKHAWK! offers a short- and a longsleeve version of the tactical shirt in fve colors along with matching pants in three different lengths, including unhemmed. The pants are made of a material that is great for movement and coated with a durable water repellant (DWR) that helps resist stains and dries quickly. The waistband of the pants is lined with motivational words such as "courage," "confdence," "brave." Hart stated that those words "are inline with our brand and are meaningful to us as a company." The company's tagline is "Honor. As a Way of Life." Off-duty clothing options are lacking even more so than the tactical options for women. It is very creative that BLACKHAWK! has decided to create off-duty pant options. In actuality, the pants can be worn by detectives or members in other plainclothes units; they are not just for off-duty. These pants are also treated DWR for stain resistance and quick drying. The pants are lined with a silicone band that helps to keep your shirt tucked in, although it gets hot after long wear. The belt loops are reinforced for additional load bearing such as your magazines or pistol, which is very nice. Pants, other than jeans, on the mainstream market are not sturdy enough to hold up a belt with a pistol and extra magazines like these pants. The performance polo has a modern slim ft and comes in six colors including "range red" and has a sun protection factor of 30. It is made of moisture-wicking fabric that is extremely lightweight. This is a favorite of the line—the cut is really great for a women's body and does not leave a lot of extra fabric hanging that can get caught places. The Strenia (named after the Roman goddess of strength and endurance) top is a good casual shirt for off-duty. It is made of 48 LAW and ORDER I July 2013 BLACKHAWK! Women's Performance Polo and Off-Duty Pant and Warrior Wear Boots moisture-wicking and wrinkle-resistant fabric that is quick to dry. It comes in three plaid patterns and short sleeve only. The shirt is designed for concealed carry without "tenting" (showing the weapon) with numerous hidden pockets and venting throughout the shirt. Sagging waistband no more! The pistol belt is reinforced with a polymer spine to avoid the annoying sagging on your gun side. This is great for concealed carry to avoid telegraphing that you are packing. It is also good for detectives or others who are in civilian dress. It is no Louis Vuitton, but the tactical handbag does function well and is a good addition to any tactical gal's wardrobe. It is easily worn as a messenger bag and fts extra magazines and even a pistol. It has pockets on the side for drink bottles, etc. According the Hart, "The line is only going to get better and you can expect more from BLACKHAWK! for women." The company sees growth opportunity on the casual side of concealed carry for women, as the options are seriously lacking. The potential is huge for any company that decides to focus on women and do it right, taking into account functionality frst and then ft. Karen Bartuch has been in law enforcement since 2002, working a variety of assignments including patrol, gang patrol, gang team, undercover, narcotics, policy advisor and intelligence. She is the founder and current president of the Women's Tactical Association. She can be reached at womenstactical@ sbcglobal.net. LaO Post your comments on this story by visiting www.lawandordermag.com