Let's not get sloppy out there, folks.

I'm trying to keep tabs on the various blogs that are covering the Montebello controversy and, while a lot of them are correctly pointing out the howling unlikelihood of the police and the "protestors" having exactly the same footwear, most of those blogs are neglecting a critical point.

Based on the tread pattern you can see clearly in the better pics, those boots are almost certainly these -- the Vibram #134AR which, as you can see, are targeted at the "fire/police" market. They're not just boots -- they're police boots. Make sure you point that out when the discussion comes up.