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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-04-07 Police Department Anniversary Celebration - New Badges and Patches PORT TOWNSEND POLICE DEPARTMENT 1925 Blaine Street, Suite 100 Port Townsend WA 98368 ' Phone: (360)385-2322 Fax: (360)379-443 ��� "�,� Conner Daily,Chief of Police FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: Sunday, April 7, 2013 Contact: Officer Luke Bogues 4747 Phone: (360) 531-2836 Email: lbogues @cityofpt.us Incident No.: N/A Anniversary of Port Townsend Police Department celebrated with new badges and patches PORT TOWNSEND —The tools law enforcement officers use to do their job have changed drastically over the years, but badges and shoulder patches are two fundamental icons of policing that have remained for generations. To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Port Townsend Police Department, officers have begun wearing newly-designed badges and shoulder patches celebrating proud service to the community since 1888. The custom-made badges depict a three-dimensional image of City Hall as it existed when construction was completed in February 1892. City Hall fills the center of the shield-shaped badge, and the steep towering roof of the building stands tall against a reflective polished metal backdrop. The vaulted roof and third floor was removed and replaced with a flat roof after suffering storm damage in 1945. The badges feature the Roman Numeral CXXV— 125 —representing the anniversary of the department in 2013. Officers received silver badges with gold highlights, while supervisors received gold badges with silver highlights. New shoulder patches show a familiar sight to many city residents,portraying a tall ship in calm seas on Port Townsend Bay silhouetted by moonlight. Nothing is quite as quintessential to the history of Port Townsend as marine trades, and the new patch celebrates the seafaring nature of the community. The new patches are a simple design featuring blue, silver, white and black. Officer Nate Holmes spearheaded the effort to design the new badges. Since joining the department, he wasn't content to wear a generic stamped tin badge. The old badge, in use for decades, is a type and design used by multiple agencies across the country. The badge with Port Townsend City Hall is unique and found only on the chests of officers here. After floating the idea to design a new badge, Officer Holmes began penciling ideas on paper and passing the sketches around the office. Changes suggested by other officers were incorporated in a final design. Ultimately, Chief of Police Conner Daily approved the design to be made, but with one stipulation: tight budget times made purchase of the new badges cost-prohibitive for the department. A lack of funding wasn't going to stop officers from externally displaying their pride serving the community. Officers used their own money to pay a manufacturer to professionally create the design and begin production. Unlike the old generic badges, the new shields are custom-crafted for each officer by featuring individual badge numbers. There's a notable weight difference between the old tin badges and the custom new ones, Officer Holmes notes. The heft of the new metal badges is a reminder of the heavy responsibility officers have to protect and serve, he said. That sentiment was echoed by Chief Daily. "I pinned my first badge on 40 years ago," he said. "Every day in those 40 years when I see the badge I am reminded why I am a police officer, to give the best I have to offer to my community." After the design of the new badges was well-received by officers, Officer Holmes again went to the drawing board to design a new shoulder patch. The colorful previous design had been used for about 15 years, but consensus among the patrol staff was that it was too cluttered. It often resulted in confusion when examined by members of the public. Most notably the large red brick building on the old patches, a representation of City Hall, was frequently mistaken for the county courthouse. The yellow lettering used for the department name was also difficult to read. It was decided simplicity was the key to designing new patches. Officer Holmes found his muse in the schooner Adventuress docked along the downtown waterfront. While working a patrol shift at dawn, he took note of the sailing vessel silhouetted against the rising sun. Officers bounced around the idea, but the bright red-orange glow of the morning sky was too much of a contrast against dark blue uniforms. From an idea born in the early morning, Officer Holmes' eureka moment was found on a graveyard shift. Replace the sun with the moon, he decided, and have a tall ship sailing at night through the blue hue of salty, mist-filled air. Again, department administrators supported the cosmetic change, but money wasn't in the budget to replace shoulder patches on every uniform. Officers dipped into their own pockets to have the artwork professionally created and the patches manufactured. Funds weren't available to have the uniforms altered, either. Officer Holmes, who packed a sewing machine to Iraq while serving in the Army, has given tailoring lessons to colleagues demonstrating how to put the patches on. Chief Daily said the self-initiation of the patrol staff to commemorate the department's founding is a reflection of the pride they take in the job they do. "The officers realized the 125th anniversary of the department was approaching, they wanted to do something special to acknowledge the storied history of this department dating back to the late 19th Century," Chief Daily said. "The patrol staff wasn't deterred when told money wasn't in the budget for this undertaking; they took it upon themselves to recognize the dozens of officers who preceded them in policing this community." Collectors often call the department seeking patches, but for now the new design won't be distributed outside uniformed personnel. Community members, however, are welcome to view the badge and patch designs any time they see officers patrolling the streets of Port Townsend, the same streets patrolled by officers here for 125 years. "The badge is a symbol of service and a source of pride for a police officer," Chief Daily said. "With the inclusion of our City Hall, the badge is now a source of pride for the community as well." 444 Photos: News Editors: Higher resolutions are available upon request. /rr rrrrrrrrri� /rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr� / �rr��rrrrrrrrr�r...... i f<„ r` u 1 r er r r I r / iJ fr o i i Officer Nate Holmes holds a badge formerly worn Port Townsend Police Department officers, left, next to the custom-made badge personnel have started wearing in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the department. ' r i, i The former PTPD patch. The newly-designed PTPD patch.