The Metropolitan Police Department Patch
The visible symbols of a police department are its badge and shoulder patch.
The badge of the Metropolitan Police Department is over 160 years old and has changed extraordinarily little since it was pinned on to the first officer. The shoulder patch has a history which is about one hundred years shorter.
The history of the departmental shoulder patch may not yet be lost but you could say that it’s been misplaced and may never be recovered.
Former Chief of Police Maurice T. Turner [July 1981- July 1989] at some point in his tenure authorized the release of a souvenir type brochure entitled “METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT SHOULDER PATCH”.
In that brochure it states that the Metropolitan Police Department designed the shoulder patch in 1970. Was that an accurate date?
Looking back at our history through photographs and news stories we can begin to fill in the blank spaces about the department shoulder patch.
During the nineteenth century, when the department was founded, police shoulder patches were not commonly utilized. As the department moved into the twentieth century, police uniforms began to change as well as the use of police patches.
Let’s explore how the department went from clean sleeves to a left sleeve shoulder patch, to different patches on each sleeve to the same patch on each sleeve.
Department
Detective Retirement Association
Policeman's Associations
Districts
1D - First District
2D - Second District
3D - Third District
4D - Fourth District
5D - Fifth District
6D - Sixth District
7D - Seventh District
Locations
Miscellaneous
Bad Boys Club
Emerald Society
Free Mason
Hockey Team
Holidays
Military
Pride
Rifle & Pistol Club
Weed & Seed
Special Events
Anniversary
Autism Awareness
Breast Cancer Awareness
Clean Sweep
Covid
Inauguration
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
January 6th
Safe Streets
Speciliazed Units
Academy
Air Support
Auto Theft
Bicycle
Boys & Girls Club
Cadet
Canine Corps (K9)
China Town
Civil Disturbance Unit (CDU)
Club Action Team (CAT)
Crime Solvers
Crime Suppression
Domestic Security
Emergency Response Team (ERT)
Environmental Crimes
Explosive Ordinance Division (EOD) / Bomb Squad
Evidence Technician
Gun Recovery Unit (GRU)
Harbor
Homicide
Intel
Internal Affairs
Major Narcotics
Motors
Mounted Patrol
Pipes & Drums
Rapid Deployment UNIT (RDU)
Reserve
Special Operations Division (SOD)
Traffic Division
Volunteer Services
Sports
Baseball
Basketball
Darts
Football
Hockey
Soccer
Task Force
Arson
Bank Robbery
Fugitive
Sniper
W. A. V. E.
