Police

Contrary to what some people think, there is no style of sunglasses called "police sunglasses". The style they are mistaking is the nickname given to Ray-Ban's Aviator sunglasses. These wide, large lens sunglasses were developed for the military in the 1930's as a way to cut down on the blinding glare pilots faced in the air.

It was not long before these first fully eye-protecting sunglasses were being distributed to other service occupations where being outside in the sunlight was making it necessary to cut down on the reflected light. It was when law enforcement agencies began cruising the streets of America in their new shades that the term "cop glasses" came into being.

With the development of polarization, the aviator sunglasses had come into their own. The wide lens glasses were now able to reduce all the excess horizontal reflected light off any flat surface. Because of the culture at that time being more geared towards authority worship, the aviator style began being mimicked by the rising celebrity endorsement of Hollywood movie stars.

Once Paul Newman starred in the movie "Cool Hand Luke" and had to face his mirrored sunglasses wearing nemesis in the 1960's, aviator sunglasses had become the single most sought after style in the world. When Tom Cruise donned a pair of slick black aviators in the 1980's blockbuster movie "Top Gun", aviator sunglasses took back off into the wild blue world of fashion classics. You can find aviator sunglasses that are referred to as "Official Police Sunglasses" and many promotional posters have been made of the stern officer in a pair of mirrored aviators looking out for the "bad guys", but they are still aviator style sunglasses.

Even the Italian designer house of Prada makes a variety of the aviator style that is referred to as "police glasses" although they have added a distinctly European twist to them. With the semi wrap around styling of the aviators, you have protection from side glare as well as wind blown dust and dirt when you slip into a pair.

There are many replica sunglasses made in the aviator style and they are sized to fit both children and adults. The World Health Organization warns that, due to the increased ultraviolet radiation bombarding our planet due to the destruction of the atmospheric ozone, children as young as three should be wearing polarized UV protecting sunglasses whenever they are outdoors. It’s a good thing the high-flying aviators are here to stay.