Police Patches
Police patches are insignias that officers wear that designate their department's location including state and municipality. These police patches not only provide a very necessary function on the officer's uniform, but they also have become a collector's item of sorts. People from around the country and around the world collect police patches, and a simple search of the web will uncover hundreds of sites and forums dedicated to collecting police patches.
Police patches must designate the town, city, or locale from which the officer's unit is located. Subsequently, police patches are all distinct, like snowflakes, no two are alike. Some police patches feature state, county, and country of origin flags. For example, in the U.S., many police patches include some reference to the American Flag, whether the officer is from New York City, Denver Colorado, or San Diego California. Many international police patches also feature the country of origin's flag. These include Italy, Russia, France, Spain, Luxembourg, Germany, Greece, and parts of the UK. These international police patches may also include insignias specific to one of the many counties or provinces that dot the landscape of each country.
Collecting police patches has become a tremendous pastime over the last several years. Many argue that increases in technology, most notably the internet, have led to a great increase in the number of folks both in the United States and abroad that collect police patches. In the United States alone there are now several hundred websites dedicated to collecting police patches. There are even trade shows and conventions where collectors gather each year to exchange police patches as well as information on where to look for hard to find patches from small counties and towns as well as small countries in places like the Caribbean and Latin America. Many young people collect police patches as well, which many argue is a fantastic way of recruiting future professionals in this exciting, rewarding, and challenging field.