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24 replies
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https://img.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=
&w=1484
1. Clarke’s four-star epaulets are standard for a chief of police or sheriff.
2. This is a pin that reads “Sheriff” made and branded by the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company. (Thanks to Charlie Deck for spotting it.)
3. A five-pointed star inside a circle. Existing theories are that it is from the U.S. Marshals or Texas Rangers.
4. A U.S. flag lapel pin.
5. A “thin blue line” pin. The expression “thin blue line” is meant to evoke the role of police in society: a thin blue line of people willing to stand between us and them. This pin mirrors similar others that are popular in the United Kingdom.
6. This is a pin for the Israeli civil guard, a branch of the Israeli police that serves as a sort of neighborhood watch since terrorist attacks in the mid-1970s. (You can see a more clear version of it here.) At other times, Clarke has worn a badge for the Israeli traffic police. (Much thanks to Naomi Fry, Jacob Kornbluh and Noga Tarnopolsky for their help tracking down this badge.)
7. Clarke’s actual sheriff’s badge.
8. A 9/11 memorial pin, presumably of the sort Clarke mentioned in the interview above.
9. This appears to be a small lapel pin that says “WTC” (like this one), a reference to attacks at the World Trade Center. (Thanks to Ryan Shyffer for helping identify this.) Pins similar to this were given out to New York Police Department officers who helped in the aftermath of the attacks.
10. Almost certainly a badge for the General Mitchell International Airport division of the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Department. A source who wished to remain anonymous sent a photo of a similar badge, depicting a five-pointed star on a background of extended wings.
11. A pin from the National Rifle Association. Clarke has been a proponent of the organization for some time, including starring in an ad for the NRA.
12. A U.S. flag bar pin.
13. A small replica of a 19th-century U.S. Secret Service badge (like this one). (Steve Hager identified it as being a souvenir given out to those who help out with a presidential visit. Thanks to Johanna Farkas for finding the original.)
14. A 75th anniversary FBI National Academy pin. The academy provides professional training on intelligence, terrorism, management and forensic science. You can see a more clear version of this pin here. (Thanks to Kyle McAllister-Grum, who identified this.)
15. Clarke’s name tag.
16. A “thin blue line” ribbon from Concerns of Police Survivors, an organization for the family members of law enforcement officials killed in the line of duty.
17. An FBI National Executive Institute pin. The institute trains law enforcement executives in leadership.
18. A pin labeled “NSI,” perhaps for the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative of which Milwaukee is a part.
19. An FBI National Academy completion pin. Clarke’s relationship with the FBI over the years means that one can stumble across politically interesting photos like this one.
20. Pin for the CeaseFire crime reduction program of which he was once a liaison for the Milwaukee Police Department.
21. A pin depicting a baby’s feet (“the precious feet”), signifying support for the antiabortion movement.
22. Blue Knights law enforcement motorcycle club pin.
There were several pins that we were unable to identify, either because they were too small or too vague to pick out. We’ve looked at a number of other images to determine what they might be, without success. If you know the significance of one of these pins, let us know.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/05/26/heres-what-the-pins-that-sheriff-clarke-wears-actually-mean/?utm_term=.b50a0d383291
&w=1484
1. Clarke’s four-star epaulets are standard for a chief of police or sheriff.
2. This is a pin that reads “Sheriff” made and branded by the Harley-Davidson motorcycle company. (Thanks to Charlie Deck for spotting it.)
3. A five-pointed star inside a circle. Existing theories are that it is from the U.S. Marshals or Texas Rangers.
4. A U.S. flag lapel pin.
5. A “thin blue line” pin. The expression “thin blue line” is meant to evoke the role of police in society: a thin blue line of people willing to stand between us and them. This pin mirrors similar others that are popular in the United Kingdom.
6. This is a pin for the Israeli civil guard, a branch of the Israeli police that serves as a sort of neighborhood watch since terrorist attacks in the mid-1970s. (You can see a more clear version of it here.) At other times, Clarke has worn a badge for the Israeli traffic police. (Much thanks to Naomi Fry, Jacob Kornbluh and Noga Tarnopolsky for their help tracking down this badge.)
7. Clarke’s actual sheriff’s badge.
8. A 9/11 memorial pin, presumably of the sort Clarke mentioned in the interview above.
9. This appears to be a small lapel pin that says “WTC” (like this one), a reference to attacks at the World Trade Center. (Thanks to Ryan Shyffer for helping identify this.) Pins similar to this were given out to New York Police Department officers who helped in the aftermath of the attacks.
10. Almost certainly a badge for the General Mitchell International Airport division of the Milwaukee County Sheriffs Department. A source who wished to remain anonymous sent a photo of a similar badge, depicting a five-pointed star on a background of extended wings.
11. A pin from the National Rifle Association. Clarke has been a proponent of the organization for some time, including starring in an ad for the NRA.
12. A U.S. flag bar pin.
13. A small replica of a 19th-century U.S. Secret Service badge (like this one). (Steve Hager identified it as being a souvenir given out to those who help out with a presidential visit. Thanks to Johanna Farkas for finding the original.)
14. A 75th anniversary FBI National Academy pin. The academy provides professional training on intelligence, terrorism, management and forensic science. You can see a more clear version of this pin here. (Thanks to Kyle McAllister-Grum, who identified this.)
15. Clarke’s name tag.
16. A “thin blue line” ribbon from Concerns of Police Survivors, an organization for the family members of law enforcement officials killed in the line of duty.
17. An FBI National Executive Institute pin. The institute trains law enforcement executives in leadership.
18. A pin labeled “NSI,” perhaps for the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative of which Milwaukee is a part.
19. An FBI National Academy completion pin. Clarke’s relationship with the FBI over the years means that one can stumble across politically interesting photos like this one.
20. Pin for the CeaseFire crime reduction program of which he was once a liaison for the Milwaukee Police Department.
21. A pin depicting a baby’s feet (“the precious feet”), signifying support for the antiabortion movement.
22. Blue Knights law enforcement motorcycle club pin.
There were several pins that we were unable to identify, either because they were too small or too vague to pick out. We’ve looked at a number of other images to determine what they might be, without success. If you know the significance of one of these pins, let us know.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/05/26/heres-what-the-pins-that-sheriff-clarke-wears-actually-mean/?utm_term=.b50a0d383291
Boy Scout merit badge for basketry.
