MONROE - Green County sheriff's deputies are getting an optional new look - a change county residents should see within the next couple of weeks.

The "traditional" uniforms worn by deputies consisted of a dark-brown shirt and tan trousers with a dark-brown stripe. But now deputies have been given the option of a less traditional look that includes a khaki colored shirt and dark trousers.

Name tags, patches and badges will remain the same on both uniforms.

The purpose for allowing the optional uniform, Sheriff Jeff Skatrud said, was price. The traditional Green County Sheriff's Department uniform costs about $150 each, and that's just the shirt and trousers.

The optional uniforms, by contrast, cost between $90 and $100. The stripe on the trousers costs an additional $8; the coat deputies wear costs more than $300; the gun belts cost several hundred dollars; and the bullet-proof vests, which deputies pay for out-of-pocket, costs more than $700.

There are five vendors available. The stripes are not required on the new pants and shirts are available to the deputies in short sleeves and long sleeves.

The deputies in the jail have a clothing allowance of $425 a year and patrol deputies get an allowance of $550.

The new option for deputies are for use as a day-to-day uniform. However, the traditional uniform is still required in formal settings, like appearances in court, where they must where a tie, as well as funerals.

"Everyone is pretty excited about the uniforms," Skatrud said.

Skatrud said that the newly authorized uniforms will help deputies' extend their allowances, while maintaining a professional appearance for the department.