KCPD to wear badges with iconic local landmarks for department’s 145th anniversary
Starting Jan. 1, Kansas City police officers will have the option to wear new badges that mark the 145th anniversary of the Police Department.
The commemorative badges were designed by the Kansas City Police Historical Society and feature Kansas City icons Bartle Hall, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, and The Scout statue.
The Kansas City Police Department was founded in 1874.
The most prominent landmark featured on the badge is the Police Memorial statue, which stands outside police headquarters. Centered on the badge, it is meant as a tribute to officers killed in the line of duty, said Sgt. Dustin Scherer, treasurer and membership chair of the historical society.
By using notable landmarks, the historical society hopes the badge “brings everybody around to the same view that we are all from the same city. We are all here together,” he said.
The badges will include officers’ identifying numbers and rank, as well as the Missouri State Seal.
Purchase of the badges by the officers was voluntary, so some will still wear the standard department-issued badge in 2019. The badges serve as a fundraiser for the historical society. The badges cost $85 or $115 for a set that includes a badge and tie pin.
“We have done this three times before, each time commemorating a badge that we have worn in the past,” said Security Officer Alan Pierce, vice president of the historical society. “This year we wanted to come up with a special badge.”
