San Antonians got a sneak peek at specially-designed tricentennial police badges when the city unveiled them in the fall. More than 1,000 officers are now wearing them in honor of our city’s 300th birthday.
The mastermind behind the design of the badge is Sgt. Tonja Brandt. She is a veteran officer with decades of experience. She was chosen by the top brass to help craft the piece of police department history.
“How much fun for us to be able to participate in the city’s celebration,” said Sgt. Brandt.
So far, 1,300 current or retired officers have bought their commemorative badges for $79 plus tax.
Taking a closer look at the design, each symbol signifies part of San Antonio’s early history.
The coat of arms represents the Spanish rule. The Franciscan seal recognizes monks who came to build missions. Martin de Alarcon is known for naming San Antonio.
As for the round design, Sgt. Brandt says the shape pays tribute to the badges worn by Spanish soldiers 300 years ago.
“They were round coins that they took and pressed into badges,” said Sgt. Brandt. “The star, readily identifiable with Texas, our Lone Star State… originally that star showed up on the back of one of those cinco-peso coins.”
The San Antonio police department has had a few specialty badges over the years. As for their standard issue badges, the force has only had three designs in their history.
William Gibson served as police chief in the 1990’s. He now spends a lot of time researching the history of SAPD. His favorite badge is the very first issue.
“There’s a city council ordinance that reflects that they ordered 12 coin-silver badges to be issued to the police officers in 1867.”
The symbol of authority for officers in 2018 sports an engraved history lesson. San Antonio officers are showing their city love in their own special way.