Officers with the Bellingham Police Department are walking about town with new badges, according to a news release from the department.
Featured on the new badge, which rolled out in November 2023 and replaced the nearly 70-year-old previous design, is the iconic Old City Hall building.
“The badge wasn’t a representation of who we are as a department,” said Detective Travis Hauri, a member of the uniform committee that undertook the project. “For institutional security, and for our department identity, we felt it was past due time to honor the community in which we work.”
Police Chief Rebecca Mertzig described the badge as a symbol of protection and safety within the community.
“It represents a willingness to sacrifice your own safety to protect the community from harm. It is a symbol of pride, honor, respect and safety,” she said in the news release.
The previous badge was generic and could be easily confused with a knockoff badge, according to the news release. The badge had been used since the 1950s and the only unique feature on the eagle-top design was Bellingham’s name.
Since the oval design of the new badge allowed for more space, Old City Hall was chosen. Also featured on the badge is the Washington state seal, silver rays to represent the sun rising over Old City Hall, the officer’s rank, badge number and the name of the department.
“Before it was the Whatcom Museum, Old City Hall was home to Bellingham’s first police department, and the new badges pay a lovely tribute to this historic building,” said Patricia Leach, Whatcom Museum’s executive director.
This is the fourth design change to the BPD badge since the department was created in 1904, according to the news release. The project was funded through the state’s Municipal Criminal Justice Assistance Account.
Annie Todd is CDN’s criminal justice/enterprise reporter; reach her at annietodd@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 130.
