Badges of the New York City Police Department

Almost everybody who was alive on September 11, 2001 knows where they were on that fateful day. I remember watching the first tower on fire as the second plane slammed into the second. It was a day I will never forget. Among the first responders who lost their lives were 60 police officers of the NYPD and Port Authority Police. I can't even begin to imagine the amount of courage it takes to run towards the fire instead of running away from it. Among the debris of the World Trade Center towers, two shields were recovered. One shield belonged to Officer Moira Ann Smith. Officer Smith's shield, citation bar rack, and nameplate were recovered. The other shield recovered belonged to Officer John William Perry of the 40th Precinct.  Their sacrifice and bravery will never be forgotten. Officer Smith's Shield and Citation Bar Rack Officer Perry's Shield

An NYPD Sergeant's Shield This is a gold NYPD Sergeant's shield. It has the same basic shape as the officer's shield with an eagle perched on top. The badge has a scaled down version of the city seal to accommodate the rectangular opening for the sergeant's shield number. The rank of "SERGEANT" is in a banner curved along the bottom of the badge. The words "CITY OF NEW YORK POLICE" are contained in a scroll and a banner at the top of the badge above the city seal. The reverse of an NYPD Sergeant's badge showing the lug and safety pin attachment

The "Gold Shield" of an NYPD Detective This is the detective's shield. The sunburst pattern is used for several different ranks. The detective's shield is a gold sunburst with a version of the New York City seal in the center. The words "CITY OF NEW YORK POLICE" along with the rank of "DETECTIVE" surround the seal. At the bottom, a rectangular panel contains the detective's shield number. This is one of the most reproduced badges around. One of the obvious signs of a bad reproduction is the over-sized numerals on the number panel. The numbers should fit almost entirely in the open space of the number panel.

From left to right, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Medal of Honor, and the Combat Cross These are some of the medals that are awarded by the NYPD. The medal on the left is the Distinguished Service Medal, awarded posthumously to an officer who dies as a result of an illness brought on by a workplace hazard. The other two are the Medal of Honor and the Combat Cross. The rarely seen Purple Shield The medal at the bottom of this image is the rarely seen Purple Shield. Similar to the U.S. military's Purple Heart, the Purple Shield is awarded to those who are injured or killed in the line of duty.

Citation Bar Holder In addition to the NYPD having a distinctive lug and safety pin, the NYPD wears all their uniform insignia over their left breast. Their nameplate, shield, and citations are all worn on a badge/citation bar holder. The NYPD allows their officers to wear awarded citations above their badge.  An NYPD detective's shield with several citation bars and personal awards. I'll discuss the individual citation bars and awards on a different post. The citation bar holders will fit anywhere from one citation bar to upwards of 10 citation bars. 

This is the standard NYPD officer's shield. The badge has a version of the New York City shield below two banners that read CITY OF NEW YORK POLICE. Below the seal are individually applied numbers denoting the officer's shield number. The badge is finished in a nickel/silver color. One feature that is distinctive about all NYPD badges is they do not have a traditional pin and closure at the back. The badges have two lugs on the back. The badge is secured to a badge holder with an over-sized safety pin. You can see the two lugs in this picture of the back of an officer's shield. The number 3100 is significant to the NYPD because that was the original phone number to reach the police department. You'd call in to the switchboard and ask to be connected to "Spring 3100." Spring 3100 is also the name of the NYPD's magazine.