SF Police can't wear flags.

[Metro174]

I just found this on Yahoo news. Even as liberal as The People's Republic of Maryland is I can not imagine this happening here. WTF is wrong with California?!? After 9/11 so many people from my department were wearing flag pins that our chief actually made them a part of the uniform. We all wear a pin of the US and MD flags just above our name tags..

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Police in San Francisco, a city long known for its politics of dissent, have been barred from wearing U.S. flag bandannas or patriotic clothing on duty, the department said on Tuesday.

The city's police force, which has arrested more anti-war protesters in recent days than anywhere else in America, has detained more than 2,000 demonstrators in the past two weeks.

Some police members patrolling the demonstrations have worn flag bandannas or other objects displaying the stars and stripes, but Acting Police Chief Alex Fagan said he was barring such actions in the future, a spokeswoman said.

"I think it's inappropriate," Fagan said in remarks quoted by the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday and later confirmed by the police press office.

"Here we are at war -- I just don't like it. The point is, we have a uniform. Even more troubling to me was that it is the flag. It offended not only the protesters, it offended the pro- war group."

Protests have slowed in recent days in San Francisco but large anti-war rallies are planned for Saturday and next Monday.

[CinaC]

Here's hoping some officers er, "forget" the memo when they get dressed in the morning.

[Niteshift]

I'd love to jump all over this and bash the SFPD.......... but I can't.

A flag pin is one thing. It can be incorporated into a uniform easily and still look professional. A BANDANNA is something else. How do you display a bandanna and still look professional?

[n567]

I thought police uniforms all had U.S flag patches already... Right?

[retired]

I think it would have been appropriate for the officers to seek approval before displaying anything on the departmental uniform. I agree in principle with displaying the flag, but the department sets the policy on uniform appearance, not the patrol officers. This also prevents officers displaying objectionable items on their uniforms. If it was against departmental policy to alter the departmental approved uniform, then prior permission should have been sought.

[Niteshift]

I thought police uniforms all had U.S flag patches already... Right?

Nope. I can't think of any agencies around here that do it. Some, however, use the small bars that look like commendation bars.

[Metro174]

I did wonder about the bandanna thing but flag pins are my primary complaint. Then again this is SF. I'd heard that SF allows full beards and hair below the colar for uniformed personel. I didn't believe it until I saw SF police in uniform at Police Week.

[CinaC]

Hey, Metro ... I recently noticed Baltimore Co. cars now have flags on them. Is this relatively new, or did I just not notice it before?

[Spiderman]

I've said it before, I'll say it again:

I'm in favor of involuntary deportation to the Farallon Islands...if they can swim back, they can stay!

[jarhead6073]

There has been a rather powerful grass roots support our troops/liberate Iraq movement in Minnesota and one guy took it upon himself to have some <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LiberateIraq/" target="_blank">signs</a> and apparently bumper stickers made up. There was a large support our troops rally in St Paul a couple weeks ago, 20,000 people and very little press. And at this rally some Support our Troops bumper stickers made their way onto some of the squads. One of a city councilperson's aides apparently saw one, told the councilperson, and the councilperson cried bloody murder (according to radio reports) to the cheif who of course made everyone remove the stickers.

Also in Minnesota, there has been talk of selling advertising space on squad cars a la NASCAR. I can't believe that some cities in this state would use squads as bilboards while others refuse to allow a support our troops bumper sticker.

[n567]

Funky, I'm pretty sure I see'm on the police around here, maybe i'm hallucinating, where's Ateamer to set me straight?

[Watchman]

My SO wears a flag on the left shouilder. Most SO's around here do.

[CinaC]

I find something ironic in you wearing the American flag on your &lt;i&gt;left&lt;/i&gt; shoulder, Watchman :)

[Metro174]

Crazy, the flags are probably more of a recent thing if you are seeing a lot of them. I have seen them on a few cars even before 9/11 or the war. Our department has them as well.

<small>[ 04-02-2003, 11:39 PM: Message edited by: Metro174 ]</small>

[occiferdave]

Just my observation...

City cops wear flag pins...

Hick cops wear flag patches...

Don't know why... :D

[ateamer]

Here I am...

A small PD in the northern part of our county wears a flag patch on their right shoulder. Other agencies authorize a small pin on the pocket flap.

I wish we could have a flag patch right above the pocket like San Bernardino S.O. does.

[Watchman]

I find something ironic in you wearing the American flag on your &lt;i&gt;left&lt;/i&gt; shoulder, Watchman

My mistake Crazy. I just went and checked. I was wrong,its on the right shoulder. I hope you're not dissapointed. :D

One thing that does annoy me though, is the fact that it is facing back instead of front. Kinda remineds me of a liberal running away fron the fight instead of to it... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[IPDBrad]

As much as love San Francisco as a city, and hate its political climate, I have to agree with the admin on this one.

Here is a link to the SF Eaminer article:
<a href="http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.dorags.0402w" target="_blank">http://www.examiner.com/news/default.jsp?story=n.dorags.0402w</a>

I like our uniform but there is one thing I did not care for until recently.

No U.S. Flag on it. After 911 people began wearing all sorts of flags. One that looks like a commendation bar was added.

[Sparky]

Flag uniform patches are a regional variance.

And it isn't a hick thing. I can think of a couple of major city PDs and SOs that have a US flag patch as a standard uniform item, as in mandatory part of the uniform.

In my region, almost all LEAs have either a flag patch on one of the shoulders, or they incorporate the US flag and/or state flag into the design of the department shoulder insignia. (crossed flags behind state seal, etc)

The only thing that REALLY IRKS ME :mad: :mad: is when a department madates a flag patch on the right shoulder, but with the union facing the wrong way! :mad: :mad:

[CinaC]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">One thing that does annoy me though, is the fact that it is facing back instead of front. </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Do you mean, if looking at the flag as worn straight on, the stars are on the left? I thought it was decorum that the stars always face front. Or do you mean that the flag is, perspective wise, "correct"?

[Underdog]

Many LAPD officers started wearing a small U.S. flag pin on the pocket flap after Sept. 11th. The department leadership tried to stop this but was subsequently over-ruled by the police commission.

[Watchman]

The only thing that REALLY IRKS ME is when a department madates a flag patch on the right shoulder, but with the union facing the wrong way!

Me too...

It is contrary to what Ive always been taught...

Crazy...If the flag is worn on the right shoulder, the stars should be facing forward. Mine dont. Mine faces backwards and that ****es me off.

[Sparky]

The correct way for personal to wear the flag patch is union oriented FORWARD.

ferinstance:

If the patch is worn on the left shoulder, then when facing the flag, the union would be to the viewers left.

If the patch is worn on the right shoulder, then the union would be to the viewers right.

Personnel are things that MOVE. The union should always be oriented to the front of anything that moves.

Same goes for vehicles (since they move). If you have a US Flag sticker on the side of a vehicle, the union shold be oriented towards the front.

I'll try to find a link to flag rules since not everyone had the opportunity to be a Boy Scout.

[Sparky]

LINK: <a href="http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html" target="_blank">http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/flagetiq.html</a>

Please read it.

You'll also notice that it is IMPROPER to wear flag t-shirts, use flags in advertising, etc. I know this is common these days, but that doesn't make it appropriate.

EDITED to add..

You may also note that a flag pin should always be worn on the LEFT near the heart. Surely we don't have any officers that are wearing it on their right, do we?

<small>[ 04-04-2003, 09:28 AM: Message edited by: Sparky ]</small>

[IPDBrad]

Another link to flag info:

<a href="http://www.usflag.org/index.htm" target="_blank">http://www.usflag.org/index.htm</a>

[Deputy757]

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Originally posted by Niteshift:
<strong>A BANDANNA is something else. How do you display a bandanna and still look professional?</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Weren't the officers involved in this story motorcycle officers? It was my impression that they routinely wore bandannas under their helmets, but on this occassion (probably to make a point...and a good one at that! :D ) they all wore flag bandannas.