Badge, Police

POLICE - A police force is a constituted body of persons empowered by the state to enforce the law, protect property, and limit civil disorder.   Their powers include the legitimized use of force.  The term is most commonly associated with police services of a sovereign state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of responsibility.  Police forces are often defined as being separate from military or other organizations involved in the defense of the state against foreign aggressors.

Many people aren’t aware of this, but the first “police badges” were the coat of arms worn by knights.  These coats of arms identified the knight and his allegiance to justice, chivalry and his royal leaders through being displayed on his shield.  Much like the police of today who swear to protect and serve, knights from the medieval era were often sworn in and asked to “Protect the weak, defenseless, helpless, and fight for the general welfare of all.”

Sometimes you see officers wearing their badges on their belts or on a necklace but many wear them above their left chest pocket.  In fact, on a police officer’s uniform the area above the left chest pocket is reinforced to help secure the badge.  But why are they worn here? When an police officer takes his oath, he is then given a badge and it is said that it is worn over the heart for two reasons; first to be worn over the heart to ever remind them of their pledge to protect and second because the left arm was the arm that often held the coat of arms shield of knights… protecting the heart and leaving the dominant hand to fight with a weapon.