SILER CITY — The Siler City Police Department held a brief ceremony last Wednesday to present its officers with new badges. It was a small gesture symbolic of systemic changes within the agency and a revitalized commitment to progress.
To some onlookers, a police badges may seem mundane — akin to a name tag. They consist of a small shield embossed with the officer’s name, his or her rank and the town seal.
To officers, however, their badges embody a commitment to upholding a weighty mission.
“The badge is symbolic,” Siler City Police Chief Mike Wagner said. “It entrusts you with the trust of the community. And so, the badge of authority, as people will say, is a segue to trust, a segue to enforce state law and a symbol of courage.”
To receive a new badge is momentous; it typically only happens three times in a policeman’s career.
“The first time you get the badge is when you become a police officer, when you graduate from the basic law enforcement school and embark upon a new career of public trust and public service,” Wagner said. “The second time you get a new badge is when you are promoted to a different rank or you obtain the position of detective. And the third time you get a badge in law enforcement is when you retire. You get your retirement credentials. So, it really is symbolic over the tenure of your career.”
But the badge represents more than just one’s own accomplishments and length of service. It is an outward marker of belonging to a team — of membership in a unique fraternity. If badges differ in style and design between officers in the same department, it undermines their sense of unity.
“In my 14 years here, we’ve never had uniform badges,” Sergeant Josh Moore said. “Everybody has had different badges, different styles … So, we have never had a uniform badge across the department which defeats the purpose of a uniform — to have uniformity.”
By some estimates, it may be more than 20 years since Siler City police have had uniform badges.
“My major says it’s been at least since 2000 that there haven’t been matching badges,” Wagner said. “So, it’s been quite some time.”
The new badges thus signify in a small way a big push from Wagner to rebrand the department. It was especially meaningful because the officers were allowed to select the badge design themselves.
“As an agency, it was an inclusive decision,” Moore said. “We had examples of the badge that were passed out to the officers and the officers were allowed to take a vote.”
Democratic decision-making is not standard practice in many police departments, but it is a hallmark of Wagner’s leadership, his officers say, and they appreciate the gesture.
“I’m not bashing anyone,” Moore said, “but it was totally different in past times coming up in the agency. There was pretty much one or two people who made the decisions and that’s what you got; you really didn’t have a say.”
Since arriving in Siler City just more than a year ago, Wagner has ushered in a new era for Siler City’s police department. In his brief tenure as chief, he has worked hard to improve the small-town agency. According to Wagner, there is no reason the department should operate to a lower standard than any big-city organization just because of its size and scope.
“We’re not going to settle for mediocrity,” Wagner said. “We’re going to move into a proactive, professional agency that provides services just like a bigger agency. And we’re not going to curtail ourselves or cut ourselves short just because we have a smaller area of service or smaller population. The expectation of our community is just the same, right? They expect the same professional, consistent police services that they get anywhere else in the region, and we are making strides to ensure that.”
Imbuing his officers with a revitalized pride in their work is a fundamental step in Wagner’s plans for the agency. Even to new officers, it is clear that Siler City PD is making strides toward more effective operation.
“We want to look good and professional,” Officer Seth Tillman said. “But I think (the badges) also show that we’re trying to make changes.”
Tillman joined the department in May, amid nationwide anti-police rancor. It is his first job as a police officer after graduating from the Basic Law Enforcement Training program at Randolph Community College.
“I haven’t been here for a while,” he said. “But I can tell things are moving forward, I think it’s a big step for this agency and it allows the community and the citizens to see that we’re making a change. And change is good.
He continued: “It makes me very proud. This is something I’ve always wanted to do, and to get to that point, and to see us grow as a department… I’m just very proud.”
Reporter D. Lars Dolder can be reached at dldolder@chathamnr.com.