# Do cops have one single badge for their entire career? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058 "2009-07-14T23:39:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/21 "2009-07-15T18:02:11Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > This happened last year in a small suburb just south of Cleveland, the first officer ever killed on duty in this town. They held a [service](http://www.ohio.com/news/50698252.html) last week in which they dedicated a little memorial and gave his widow and mother replica badges. So did they not give his wife his real badge because somebody might steal it and pretend to be him? A very close friend of mine’s father was an officer with both the police department and then the sheriff’s office (after retiring from the PD due to age). When he died, my friend found badges from both jobs in his dresser and owns them now. No one ever asked for them back. The sheriff’s office took back the firearm he was issued, although he left several that he bought himself to my friend’s brothers. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/22 "2009-07-15T18:23:20Z")
> [@St.Urho](#): > > . The ambulance service I work for gives us badge numbers in the same manner. Which is kind of funny, since we don’t actually get (or want) badges. Sorry, I just have to say it and can’t keep it in. \*\* Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges.\*\* I DON’T HAVE TO SHOW YOU ANY STINKIN’ BADGES! ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/23 "2009-07-15T20:54:45Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > If I were ever in a situation where I might question the authenticity of a badge, I think I’d ask for some type of ID. Sure, there are ways to fake them as well, but I would hope that a government issued ID would have something that distinguishes it, such as a hologram, or at the very least isn’t printed on an inkjet. Photo ID and physical description are nice. Never having seen one before, how would you know if the “Police ID” is real? ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/24 "2009-07-15T23:55:14Z")
> [@Quercus](#): > > Never having seen one before, how would you know if the “Police ID” is real? I wouldn’t, and if it were an unsophisticated piece of crap (and legitimate), I’d probably doubt it. I would assume that it have the same characteristics as currency or credit cards, at the very least. And if it looked any newer than my drivers license, that’d inspire some doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/25 "2009-07-21T00:42:56Z")
This thread was pointed out to me by someone but I have been away from the board a lot lately. > [@minor7flat5](#): > > So it would seem that both parts of “turn in your badge and gun” are symbolic, as the officer probably has a few spares of each, though there might be one official original issue badge and one official sidearm? > > Kind of like how we received one full set of each type of uniforms in boot camp and were on our own from then on (and they took that first issue of uniforms out of our base pay anyway). It is different on every department. Our duty weapon is owned by the department and they can take it away whenever they want. I had to turn mine in when I deployed last year. When I started we had NYPD style badges. The number on them corresponded to senority. The longest serving patrolman held badge #1. When someone retired everyone moved up one badge #. Sometimes it didn’t work out too well if the badge you turned in was in good shape and you got a beat up one. Usually we would get two badges and a hat badge. A few years ago we went to a LA style badge. No number. We get two and a hat badge. There is no secret special badge that we have to hide away. > [@Nunavut\_Boy](#): > > Jesus, they make grunts pay for UNIFORMS in the US army? Yay capitalism! When I was in the Canadian army, any time anything broke or because unusable, I’d take it to the Quartermaster and say “new one”. In the national guard we do not get a clothing allowance. In theory we ask for new uniforms and the supply sergeant gets them. But the wheels of the supply system grind slow and stupid. It may take months to get issued new uniforms. Except when you are deploying, then they throw more crap at you than you can possibly use. ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/26 "2009-07-21T01:44:13Z")
FWIW, when I’ve had occasion to deal with someone (in ordinary clothing) who’s claiming to be a police officer, I’ve politely asked to see their ID card. I’ve encountered a couple fools who thought they could act the big shot by using/carrying a fake badge or even the badge of a family member. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/27 "2009-07-21T02:00:37Z")
So, do real cops call their badge their “shield,” or is that just Hollywood and Michael Connelly, too? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/28 "2009-07-21T02:09:09Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > So, do real cops call their badge their “shield,” or is that just Hollywood and Michael Connelly, too? I have always heard it refered to as just a badge but calling it a shield would not seem too strange to me. It does look like a shield. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/29 "2009-07-21T02:50:12Z")
Piling on with the military uniform stuff: I’m not sure if it’s something to do with how my base set up its budget, or if it is because my unit has a high deployment rate (Civil Engineers now can expect to be deployed six months overseas for every six months at home), but any uniform items that we require and lack are supplied to us here (for example, I was just bought a pair of steel-toed boots because I didn’t have any and would need them for some training they have me lined up for) And yeah, as others have said, enlisted men (except, evidently, for National Guard) get an annual allowance to purchase uniform items (uniforms, boots, belts, patches, etc.). If you don’t need any new uniform items… you still get the allowance. Go you! An interesting and mildly irrelevant thing on the badges, over in Security Forces (Air Force version of the MPs), their badge is actually a patch sewn on their uniform (or an actual metal badge for their blues, which they’d never be wearing for cop type duties), but that’s just kinda part of the whole military thing, your credentials being sewn into your clothes. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/30 "2009-07-21T12:11:51Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > And yeah, as others have said, enlisted men (except, evidently, for National Guard) get an annual allowance to purchase uniform items (uniforms, boots, belts, patches, etc.). If you don’t need any new uniform items… you still get the allowance. Go you! As a non-grunt, I still found that my uniform allowance wasn’t quite enough for all my uniforms and accessories! ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/31 "2009-07-21T13:02:19Z")
Continuing the uniform stuff… When I was in the Navy (20 years ago) we received an anemic uniform allowance that was never enough. One apparent difference between our uniforms and those supply-sergeant-issued uniforms others are talking about: we enjoyed a bit of latitude in the different parts of the uniform, as long as it looked close enough. For example, we were issued one pair of black boots, but we could wear any black steel-toe safety shoes and nobody would care. I wore steel-toe Wellington boots for awhile, then zipper-side boots at another point. Our dungaree pants were pretty standardized; you couldn’t wear blue jeans (though a couple of guys occasionally got away with it), but there were several different makers and you could choose the quality of dungarees. The dungaree shirts had to match in color and that was about it. Short sleeve or long sleeve, up to you. As a machinist’s mate working in the engine room, I preferred short sleeves. The insignia was also kind of loose: you could get iron-on transfers for the petty officer “crow” or iron-on patches. If you wanted, you could put a metal “crow” on your ball cap or do without. We looked like a sloppy bunch when standing alongside the Marine detachment on our ship; they were totally squared away. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/32 "2009-07-21T13:30:16Z")
mrpayday: > [@](#): > > is there some prestige in having a low number? like i’m number one? [Mr. Burns]Social Security Number…naught naught naught naught naught naught naught naught…two. Damn Roosevelt.[/Mr. Burns] ---
**Author:** ![vandal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/858c86/32.png) [@vandal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vandal)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/33 "2009-07-21T15:34:33Z")
To answer the OP, it largely depends on the department. Speaking for the LAPD, if you promote, you are issued a new badge with your new rank displayed on it. You also relinquish your previous badge, and are issued a ceremonial badge in its place. It’s not meant to be worn. It’s somewhat smaller than the actual badge and is more suited for display in a case. So, upon completion from the academy, you are a “police officer,” and as such, that’s what is actually displayed on your badge (in all capitals). The next rank above that would be sergeant. Should you promote, you turn in your “police officer” badge and your new badge would have “sergeant” written across the top. This applies to every rank, all the way up to the chief. Also, if you were to lose your badge, you’d need to file a police report in the jurisdiction you think the loss occured in, write and submit a formal letter to the personnel department explaining what happened, and you would be issued a new badge. If it breaks or becomes damaged, you can bring the defective badge to the personnel department where it can exchanged for a new one. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/34 "2009-07-21T22:07:20Z")
The google ad I’m getting is “police badges for sale”. In addition to what has been mentioned above, a police department may occasionally roll out new badges for everyone to commemorate some event…say the merging of two municipalities into one, The centennial aniversery of the department’s existance, or in a case I am familiar with (Ft. Collins, CO) the opening of a new police headquarters building. In this case it wasn’t exactly a new badge design, but one inspired by a very old former design. I also know two policemen (which is about half the policemen I know) who collect badges. They keep several extras to trade when they go to training seminars and like such…mostly they trade the “patch badges” but also a few of the expensive metal ones. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/35 "2009-07-22T02:25:15Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > …An interesting and mildly irrelevant thing on the badges, over in Security Forces (Air Force version of the MPs), their badge is actually a patch sewn on their uniform (or an actual metal badge for their blues, which they’d never be wearing for cop type duties), but that’s just kinda part of the whole military thing, your credentials being sewn into your clothes. 😃 Corrections officers (guards) in our city and county jails have sewn and not metal badges. Someone told me long ago that it was to keep inmates from grabbing them or tearing their shirts, but I’d think patrol officers would be at even greater risk of that. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/36 "2009-07-22T03:15:13Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Corrections officers (guards) in our city and county jails have sewn and not metal badges. Someone told me long ago that it was to keep inmates from grabbing them or tearing their shirts, but I’d think patrol officers would be at even greater risk of that. I guess for the beat cop, a stitched on badge wouldn’t look legit enough, and half the reason for the badge is to establish your street cred on the spot. In the military, we have no problem accepting the legitmacy of something sewn (or even velcroed) onto a uniform, although for dressier occasions our more formal uniforms will have metal pin-on badges for stuff (occupational badges, flight wings, stuff like that aside from Law Enforcement and Fire Protection badges). If you’re a guard in a prison, you don’t need to “prove that the badge is real”, as everybody in the (relatively small) community will know that right off the bat, so safety concerns would take precedent. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/37 "2009-07-22T03:29:05Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > If you’re a guard in a prison, you don’t need to “prove that the badge is real”, as everybody in the (relatively small) community will know that right off the bat, so safety concerns would take precedent. That and they probably have an aversion to being stabbed with a three inch long sharp pin. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/38 "2009-07-22T03:30:38Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > That and they probably have an aversion to being stabbed with a three inch long sharp pin. Which is a very blunt version what I said, ie: “Safety concerns take precedent” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Boilermaker2014](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Boilermaker2014](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boilermaker2014)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/39 "2010-07-22T00:03:48Z")
What is the rule on badges come retirement? Does the retireing officer have to turn in his badge? Or do they get to keep it as a keepsake? Is it different depending on the department? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058/40 "2010-07-22T01:30:49Z")
The department I retired from issued 2 identical badges. One for the uniform, and a “24 hour” badge for an ID wallet (never carry your badge in your regular wallet). Both badges had the same number on them. 25 years and I never got an acceptable explanation why my badge number wasn’t also my radio number. For example, if your badge number was 123 your radio ID number could be 810. So it was possible that someone else had a radio number of 123. That was just stupid. Also, the ID number we wrote on citations and such was your initials plus the day of your birth. My ID number was PKB31. So we had 3 different identifying numbers. Lame. After I retired in '07 I took a part-time gig on another department. Everyone only gets 1 badge issued to them but if you want another they’ll have one made for you. It’s like 70 bucks so I’ve opted to just move the badge from the uniform to my ID wallet. Your badge number is also your radio number and also the ID number you put on cites. For uniform coats and jackets they issue patches that looked like badges but were permanently sewed on where the badge would go. All of this is common sense, I say. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cops-have-one-single-badge-for-their-entire-career/503058.md?page=3)