Law enforcement leaders are all over the map on whether to authorize a specialty badge for their respective departments. Badges hold sacred meanings, reflect history, and carry about a certain level of nostalgia. Our heroes that came before us wore the badges that are proudly displayed by our modern police forces. As a symbol of authority, badges convey honor, respect, and nobility. As such, I am not advocating for switching out a department’s badge for the sake of change.
I am talking about commemorative badges that highlight a special event, historical marker in time, or a significant milestone in the agency. For example, in Arlington, we authorized commemorative badges for Super Bowl XLV, the World Series that featured the Texas Rangers, and other high level sporting events that demanded a considerable amount of law enforcement planning and resources.
When I arrived at White Settlement, two historical milestones were occurring in the community. The first was a celebration of 80-years of military aviation and production at Air Force Plant #4 operated currently by Lockheed Martin. A specialty badge was commissioned to showcase 80-years of aircraft production with the B-24 Liberator (White Settlement was known as “Liberator Village” in WWII), the F-16 Fighting Falcon (produced by General Dynamics in White Settlement), and the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (currently manufactured in our hometown).
We unveiled the 1942-2022 commemorative badge during a press conference held at Lockheed Martin. Numerous media stories highlighted the importance of Air Force Plant #4 for the community and region as the gateway to national defense.
The second specialty badge unveiled was the 80-year history of the military base in town. As Carswell Air Force Base, originally referred to as Tarrant Field Airdrome, was transformed to a joint reserve base, the department wanted to highlight the 80-year history of the military airfield. The commemorative badge incorporated the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth logo, Texas and U.S. flags, and the names of the air bases with the 1942-2022 dates. Again, the history was shared with the community and officers appreciated the opportunity to wear the badges during limited timeframes to show our support for the Armed Forces and connection to our hometown.
So the question begs itself, are speciality badges right for your agency? I think if you can rally a common purpose to reinforce your storytelling, then there may be a place to commission such a badge in limited quantities for display during certain times of year. They can be used for fundraisers and can serve as a historical heirloom piece for your employees. Leaders and strategic communication advisors can innovate on ways to showcase a particular story through a special badge while still safeguarding and protecting the current approved department badge.
The possibilities are limitless. As a matter of fact, we landed a weekend air show featuring the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in April 2024 and will, as you guessed it, be showcasing a special badge to commemorative the event.
