City police officers to sport redesigned shoulder patches
Calgary police will roll out new shoulder patches for their officers starting this month.
A two-year rollout will see all officers wearing the new design by December 2020.
The new design will have the word police in a larger, more prominent size. It shows similarities to the former badge in design, however, it’s taller than it is wider, unlike the old design.
“These new shoulder flashes are similar in design to the majority of other police services,” the service wrote on a Facebook post introducing the patches.
“It is a benefit that police in Canadian cities have a similar appearance and are easily identified. However, in response to feedback from our members, our crest and red border are retained as unique to Calgary. “
The cost of the badges will remain the same, the service said.
Const. Jeremy Shaw said in a Facebook post that the former crest was redesigned from the original insignia in Sept. 1987, with a number of symbols hidden into it.
“The upper one-third of the crest shows the Rocky Mountains; the lower two-thirds bears the cross of St. George on which is mounted the Canadian Maple Leaf,” he wrote.
“Inset on the Maple Leaf is a bull buffalo. The supporters, a horse and a steer, represent the wealth on which the city grew.
“Above the mountains are a Corona Muralis (a symbol of loyalty) and a Westering Sun. Below the Maple Leaf are the Leek of Wales, the Rose of England, the Thistle of Scotland, and the Shamrock of Ireland, signifying the ancestry of our early settlers.”
Surrounding the crest, he added, is a ring of maple leaves set to symbolize Calgary ’s corporate boundaries and the limit of the services police jurisdiction.