Force has seen nine badges
CITY HALL Elected officials have set aside $50,000 for the redesign and purchase of new police badges, a move that has drawn criticism from taxpayer groups who would rather see the money spent elsewhere, particularly since the current badges have been worn just a few years.
City Councilman Ken Genser initially asked his colleagues to approve the expenditure last Tuesday, but when a vote was taken, Council members Bob Holbrook, Bobby Shriver and Pam O’Connor voted no, creating a 3-3 tie. Mayor Pro Tem Herb Katz was not present for the vote.
Genser then suggested the money be set aside so the council could discuss the issue at a later date, a move supported by the majority.
At the heart of the issue is whether or not the badge should include City Hall’s image, like Genser suggests, as well as if new badges are necessary at all, given that each of the city’s previous nine badges were worn a minimum of 11 years. The current badge, which was changed in 2003, features the new Public Safety Facility’s western façade, something that was done to commemorate the opening of that building, which now houses the police and fire departments, as well as meeting rooms used frequently by City Hall employees.
Genser claims he was never made aware of the change back in 2003 and doesn’t believe his colleagues were either. The councilman feels that City Hall should be represented, since it is such a recognizable symbol, and that the Public Safety Facility on the badge sends the wrong message, perhaps inadvertently, that the police department is operating with autonomy.
“Historically, at least in recent history, the police badges have always featured City Hall, a recognizable emblem of the people of the city, and all of a sudden, they featured the Public Safety building, which is not only one that people can’t recognize, but I think starts to foster that sense the police department is separate than the rest of city government,” Genser said. “To me, it is a very significant, although symbolic, issue.
“The least we can do is knowingly change it back.” It wasn’t until an advertisement was issued by City Hall letting people know about the hiring of a new police chief last year that Genser said he was aware of the switched badges. A picture of the new badge was featured on the posting.
Sources within the department say the council was made aware of the change because it was mentioned in the SMPD’s annual report for 2003, which elected officials are expected to review. That report detailed the nine different badges issued in the police department’s history. Only two featured City Hall.
The report stated that several officers on the command staff were consulted about the change, as were the men and women of the SMPD. Several changes were made to the design, all reflecting input provided by officers.
Former Police Chief James T. Butts, Jr., who authorized both the latest change to the badge’s design as well as its expenditure, said the new shield was crafted to celebrate the new facility. Badges are often redesigned to commemorate something historic, such as the city’s 100-year anniversary.
Now the director of security at Los Angeles World Airports, Butts managed the fourth-largest law enforcement agency in the county in Santa Monica. On Friday, Butts declined comment on the council’s decision to set aside the funds, offering only, “The (Public Safety Facility) belongs to the people of Santa Monica every bit as much as City Hall does.”
‘A CASE OF MICRO MANAGEMENT’
Holbrook, who voted against changing the badges, said he didn’t feel that it was right to spend $50,000 on new badges when the current ones are only three years old and do not show any signs of wear-and-tear.
“When people are looking at an officer’s badge, they’re most likely trying to find out the officer’s name or their badge number,” Holbrook said. “The last thing you focus on is the picture on the badge and what it looks like … I could see changing them if there was some special reason for it, like an anniversary of the city or if we were to be named an all-American city or something like that.”
Councilman Kevin McKeown suggested issuing a new badge to celebrate the rebuilding and retrofit of City Hall, but that idea was put on the back burner. Shriver suggested that when badges are redone in regular course of business that City Hall be placed back on the badge.
Critics of the decision to set aside funds for the redesign are calling the move “ludicrous,” especially since other cities are struggling to make ends meet. While Santa Monica may be an affluent city, that still doesn’t mean money should be spent just because a few council members have a personal problem with the badge’s design or the manner in which it was changed.
“This is a case of micromanagement and it would be hysterically funny if it weren’t costing every resident around 75 cents,” said Kris Vosburgh, executive director of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. “Council members should be asking what use of $50,000 would better help police officers perform their duties — new badges or a new, fully-equipped police cruiser for the same money.”
The first badge to be worn by sworn officers in Santa Monica was the “star badge,” a simple design that mirrored lawmen’s tin badges of the Wild West. The star design, worn from 1896 to 1915, is still the tradition for most sheriff and marshal agencies.
The second badge, worn from 1915 to 1937, was a uniquely designed shield that depicted the Santa Monica Bay in an Art Nouveau style. An eagle, which is featured on the majority of the badges, rests at the top, its eye accented by a single gem stone. Unlike other badges, this one was engraved “Founded 1769,” a reference to the year the bay was discovered. Only the initial badges issued had this “somewhat misleading date” on them, according to the report.
The third badge was designed in 1937 and was issued throughout World War II. It was the first badge designed on the oval shield background that has been retained ever since. The date has been corrected to 1875 to reflect the founding of the city.
In 1948, the shield badge was left virtually untouched. It was the first time that a combination of gold and silver were used. This style of badge was issued until 1959.
In 1959, a bright enameling was added to the city seal on the badge, “perhaps a reflection of the great advances being made in colorization of photography and motion pictures,” the report states. Slight changes were made to the badge for several years, most notably changing the word “patrolman” to “police officer” to reflect the hiring of the first female to serve in the department.
From 1983 to 1994, officers carried the relatively plain “shell badge,” so named because of its background motif representing a seashell. The shell badge was the first to depict a recognizable Santa Monica image — City Hall. The badge was changed again in 1994, but only slightly. The shell design was sharpened and the city seal moved higher up to connect with City Hall.
Many officers choose to purchase their badges themselves, according to SMPD Lt. Alex Padilla, which could offset costs. It is unclear how much a redesign would be. There are more than 220 sworn officers currently in the department.
“No decision has been made, as of yet, so we don’t have a company that we would contract with,” Padilla said. “Right now,we are taking a look at different options out there and taking a look at the design to see which one the chief will select.”
No expenditure has been made and the issue is expected to come back to the council for discussion in the coming months.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on June 18, 2007. Read the original PDF.