Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Canadians don't need no stinking badges??

We learned a long time ago that a bright badge on your chest makes a pretty ggod target especially in low light if someone is inclined to throw a shot your way. The same applies to shiny belt buckles and name plates. Most uniforms have positive identification on the shoulders, a badge at the top of the forage cap or Stetson. An individual can request production of formal identification if he is in doubt.

Asking for ID to and officer is like throwing gasoline on a fire.

I have been known to ask for identification on various occasions in my career when the professionalism of the officer was lagging. As long as I was courteous a warrent card was produced and attitudes were adjusted. Patients were not aware I was working the officer, and I would tell the patient the officer was the real thing and that he was in charge.

I realise these werea controled (more or less) scenes and there were no emergent safety conditions present. The black and white cruiser and blue uniform is typically all that is needed for identification of police personell.

As paramedics the white/ yellow/ blue bus, first response kit, and defib kind of give us away. We are required to identify ourselves as paramedics and produce MOH identification when requested. Quality assurance types do spot checks, and if we are found to not have the ID on our person, we are sent home without pay. We all make sure we carry our ID.

When I first started 30 years ago the public opinion was not as positive as it is today. Getting into scuffles was quite frequently an occurrence in the late seventies, early eighties, but seldom occurrs now. Grant you I am older and wiser and a whole lot less chippy than I was then.

Attitude is the key for sure on both parties. Did you see the video of the guy the woman cop was kneeing in the back and pinning to the burning pavement, along with a few other dum cops. The guy was screaming in agony because the pavement was so hot you could fry eggs on it. Buddy had shorts on and a light armless t shirt. The more he screamed in agony the more the cops layed into him for resisting arrest. ?????Fricken morons.

I just saw you a month or so ago , , , , , , you changed since then?

Well I am older and less chippy at least. You don't let me get away with any internet lying do you.

I let a lot slip by, but ya gotta draw the line somewhere.

To add to the discussion a bit. As an RCMP trained in 1995/96 at 48 yrs. old, I didn't take too quickly to the "we used to do it this way back in the good old days" malarkey. The debate about us having to wear our forage caps raged back and forth. If we thought there was a commissioned officer around, we usually tried to keep one handy. In my case, it had nothing to do with disrespect nor disregard for the good old days. It had to do with having a hose clamp-like device on your head.

I only carried my badge for the first few days of my service, until an experienced member suggested that likely my uniform would give a reasonable form of identification.

Of course, what would I know. I did, however, survive 12 1/2 years as a regular member and another 5 years as a Reservist, armed the whole time, no badge on my clothing, and wearing my forage cap as little as possible. We were even given reprieve from having to wear a stupid tie with long sleeved shirts. That was a good move.

Here in the Commonwealth of Virginia the Criminal Code states the LEO must display a "Badge of Authority". While this is accomplished very easily by those who don a uniform, those working in a plain clothes capacity are required to physically show a badge upon placing a suspect under arrest. The courts have ruled the "Cloth" badges which are often worn on utility type uniforms meet the standard of the law, although most officers continue to display their metal badge in some capacity when wearing a BDU style uniform. As far as the hats, up until the early 1980's Troopers were required to wear their issued Campaign "Smoky" hats while IN THE CRUISER on patrol. This nonsense was stopped as cars got smaller, and quite frankly people got bigger. They are still required to don their campaign hat upon exiting the vehicle, except in emergency situations. Quite frankly it is a lot like brushing your teeth or tying your shoes, it becomes second nature, and you often feel "Naked" without your "Cover". Incidentally, I cannot remember the source, but there was a comprehensive study done with a large pool of inmates about police headgear. Collectively, it was determined the Campaign Style-Flat Brim/Phillips Head- Drill Instructor/Trooper style hat was the most "Persuasive" hat and elicited the most respect, and "Fear". While the individual wearing the hat to me has more of a bearing on this than the hat itself, the fact that you are dealing with a virtual stranger, but they have this type of headgear on invokes initial Fear/Respect. As far as Police Uniforms in the lower 48...for those who care...check out Rhode Island State Police! These units are certainly the poster child for ZZ-Tops "Sharp Dressed Man!!"

PS: 31 Days and a wake up and I'm going Spring Bear hunting, hell with a hat or a badge!

Pretty neat link to see all State Police/Highway Patrol uniforms. I was told the Rhode Island SP dress uniform cost roughly $2700 per set!

http://www.chpforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8680