Hemet police wear new centennial badges with honor

At left are the special Hemet police badges and shoulder patches that mark the city's centennial and will be worn this year. At right are the traditional badge and patch.

Police officers in Hemet are taking a nod to the past and a look to the future out on the streets.

Officers on Saturday began wearing badges reminiscent of the days of Wyatt Earp and shoulder patches that evoke the city's past while foreseeing sunny days.

The silver-and-black badges, which feature a star on top of a circle, commemorate the city's centennial that is being celebrated this month. They will be worn this year only. The word "Centennial" graces the upper circle. A stylized "Police" is on a black background in the star's middle. At the bottom of the circle are the dates 1910-2010.

"We wanted to do something special for the year," Police Chief Richard Dana said Friday. "It looks a hundred years old."

Dana said he wanted the public to see the new badges and patches so there wouldn't be any confusion as to whether those wearing them were legitimate officers.

The chief said the department couldn't find a photo of a Hemet police badge from 1910, so a committee worked on this design.

He said the badges cost about $85 apiece and were paid for by donations from the public, the police officers association and the officers themselves.

The shoulder patches don't bear the Indian heads, peace pipe, feathers and drum that are part of the city seal. They are replaced by a depiction of the downtown Hemet train depot and, in the background, Diamond Valley Lake and the sun rising over the San Jacinto Mountains.

"We're looking at the rising sun as the future of Hemet," Dana said. "A bright future."

Seventeen people helped design the patch, which Dana said cost 87 cents apiece.

The department also plans to display photos of past police chiefs and old badges in public areas of the building this year in honor of the centennial, he said.

Voters approved Hemet's incorporation on Jan. 11, 1910, and the state signed off on the paperwork on Jan. 20.


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