Today’s New York Daily News carried a photo of Police Officer Moira Smith’s daughter. Patricia, 3. was holding her mother’s shield in the photo. Moira Smith (pictured here in what is probably the last picture of her alive, assisting a wounded civillian) died on Sept. 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center.
I had always believed that only active-duty officers of the NYPD were allowed to carry shields. While I don’t want to seem insensitive, nor do I wish to intrude on the Smith family’s grief, I still want to ask why a civillian (Smith’s husband and other family members) are allowed to carry around her shield. Should it not have been turned in to the NYPD?
I had this very thought myself yesterdat while watching the news. I’m pretty sure they mentioned that that the families were given replicas.
One observation: the photo of the little girl shows a gold badge. NYPD street cops wear silver badges. (Now whether they are issued gold badges – say, for ceremonies – or whether other ranks, like detectives, get gold badges I can not say.)
Detectives (and possibly higher ranks) get gold shields, although NYPD may have made post-humous promotions as the fire department did.,c. Speaking as someone who carries a shield myself, (not from the NYPD) it’s quite common to have replica shields made, although they’re generally not exactly the same size as the official one.
As you can see, only the basic Police Officer’s shield is “white”, while detectives, sergants and above get gold shields, all the way up to the shield of the Police Commissioner, which is reputedly made of solid gold. (Basic traffic and school security agents get white shields as well, but their superiors get gold.)