mission, patch, & badge
Current police badge worn by Anchorage Police Department Officers
APD 100 Year Anniversary Badge
Mission Statement
“To protect and serve our community in the most professional and compassionate manner possible”
Our Patch
Each of our sworn officers proudly wears our patch on their left sleeve. It features the seal of the city which showcases an anchor, a sun and ship, and an airplane. Altogether they represent Captain James Cook, the British explorer who visited Southcentral Alaska in 1778 while looking for the Northwest Passage, the midnight sun, Alaska as the Air Crossroads of the World, and our port.
Our badge
The significance of wearing a badge can be traced back to medieval times when knights wore a coat of arms which displayed their allegiances and loyalty. In more recent times, badges are worn to show group membership, awards, and rank, much like the badge our APD officers wear or carry. The year 2021 brings APD’s 100th anniversary. To celebrate and recognize where we started, and how far we’ve come, we decided to create an anniversary badge, pictured below. You might see some of our officers wearing our 100-year anniversary badge in 2021.
The oldest APD badge we could confirm by photo was worn by APD Chief Walter Brewington who was chief from July 1929-May 1936. Our anniversary badge blends the old 6 point star with our current colors (gold on silver and silver on gold) and incorporated a modern version of our city seal.
Left: Chief of Police Walter Brewington, July 1929 - May 1936
Right: Oldest confirmed badge worn by Chief Brewington