For at least two and a half decades, the Redmond Police Department (RPD) uniform has sported the same blue patch, featuring the city’s old logo.
But last week, the department began transitioning to a new patch — one that better reflects the department as well as the community as a whole.
Redmond Police Chief Kristi Wilson started the process of creating a new patch after she became chief.
In addition to members of RPD, she worked with the City of Redmond’s office of communications as well as members from the local community to come up with a new design. Wilson said they first brainstormed words and images that come to mind when thinking about the department as well as the greater Redmond community. They then winnowed things down to a few topics and those topics were turned into art, she said.
The result is a two-toned navy blue and gray shield to match the colors of RPD’s cars. Wilson said they are the only department in the state to have that color scheme. In the center of the patch is a bicycle wheel — with spokes — to represent Redmond being the bicycling capital of the Northwest. Within the wheel are trees, representing Washington and people’s love of the outdoors. Wilson also used the analogy of a forest, saying they are stronger when they all stand together. There are also three streams to represent the past, present and future as well as the city’s three values: customer service, integrity and accountability.
Wilson added that patches for officers and sergeants have a navy blue border and patches for command-ranked personnel have a gold border.
The department began transitioning to the new patches last week and Wilson said it will take about another week to issue the rest of the patches.
In addition to new patches, RPD is getting new badges, which Wilson said the department will receive and begin issuing next week.
The current badges are gold with the department’s name and feature George Washington in the center.
“These are kind of a stock badge,” Wilson said.
The new badges will be a “more muted” copper and black and feature the front of the newly remodeled Redmond Public Safety building.
Wilson said they also had the back of the badge engraved with the law enforcement oath of honor, a statement she reads to new hires when they are sworn in as officers. The oath states how law enforcement officers should live their life and not disrespect or disgrace the badge they wear, she said.
“I’m really proud of the work that the team did (on the patch and badge),” Wilson said, describing the end result as a professional look that goes beyond the police department.
