License plates on vehicles all across Wyoming feature the silhouette of a rodeo rider atop a bucking bronc, holding aloft a cowboy hat. The iconic image is Wyoming’s official logo, a state-owned, registered trademark that serves as a ubiquitous symbol of the Cowboy State’s cultural identity.
But sheriff’s deputies riding in cruisers—or on horseback—in Sublette County, about 80 miles south of Grand Teton National Park, won’t be sporting cowboy hats any longer under. A new dress code in the department prompted one longtime local lawman to retire early, saying he’d rather quit than give up his beloved hat and boots.
