Numbered Police Badge

Date: c. 1925

 

Description: This badge would have been worn on a police officer’s hat during his time of service. At the top is an eagle perched on a vine motif that surrounds the edge. In the circle in the middle is a boy holding a shovel, looking out over grain fields and houses and standing next to a large pot filled with wheat and other crops. Surrounding the picture is the motto for the state of Iowa, “Our Liberties We Prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain.” The number at the bottom represents when the police officer was hired into the force, starting from one and going up. Today the numbers are in the 5 digits, so 118 is fairly early indeed.

 

History of the Sioux City Police Department goes back to the 1850s and grew along with the city. When Sioux City became the county seat it also serviced the Sheriff’s office from 1853. From 1893 to 1916 the department was based out of a low stone building on Third Street, and featured a horse-drawn ambulance and several horse-drawn “paddy wagons” or police vans. In 1922 the police moved with the fire department to the Municipal Building at 6th and Water Street, which serviced both departments along with the city and county jail. Today the Police department sits at 6th and Douglas with the county jail nearby. The officers today continue to defend and uphold the city’s laws and values.

 

Donor: Sioux City Police Department

 

On display