Stolen Valor or Stolen Design?
In the Salt Lake Tribune retired Marine Sergeant Major Nick Lopez noticed that his local police department, in their formal uniforms, were wearing awards that were real military decorations, like the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, Army Distinguished Service Medal and others. That didn’t sit well with SGM Lopez so he complained to his city government, which seemed to ignore his complaints.
However, they took his letters and emails seriously;
Many of the police ribbons earned by officers are similar in design to military ribbons, said West Valley City Manager Wayne Pyle, a 21-year Army reservist who took a leave of absence in 2006 for a 15-month deployment to Afghanistan. Pyle said the police and city officials exhaustively researched the issue and determined the department had done nothing wrong. But the ribbons officers earned from the department are being redesigned to eliminate any perception that they are wearing military awards without earning them.
I know it’s probably cheaper and easier for police departments to just pick up some bits of ribbon from the local surplus store, but as we’ve pointed out in the past, there are awards available to local LEOs that are designed specifically for their use. they should really take advantage of that option instead of giving the impression that officers earned military awards.
Pyle and Powell pointed out that the law specifies the wearing or use of the awards are criminal if they are done to intentionally commit fraud. Having local police ribbons that are similar to military ribbons doesn’t fit that criteria, they say.
Yeah, well, that doesn’t make it right.
Category: Who knows
Didnt we se a similiar thing in a highly publicized recent trial? The Zimmerman trial methinks?
I’m probably in the minority, but I don’t see the big deal here. It’s not stolen valor because they aren’t claiming to have bronze stars and silver stars and all that. I just don’t see anyone looking at a cop and seeing a bronze star and being like “oh you got that in the war?”. Now if they are claiming it is the actual award, then we have a problem. But just using the same design, I don’t think so. Yes there are police specific award patterns an it is an odd choice to go with service patterns, but I still don’t see this being worth anyone getting heated about.
Bam Bam: we’ll have to agree to disagree, amigo. Those ribbons used by DoD already have specific meaning.
I have no problem with police giving awards for valor, service, etc . . . , and giving a ribbon/medal for same. They just shouldn’t re-use something that can be misinterpreted. As has been noted, there are many sources of police-specific valor and service decorations that already exist and will sell the ribbons off the shelf.
Also, it’s my understanding some PDs allow folks to wear military decorations earned during military service. So the potential for abuse is there too.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.
If you’re going to be lazy and put no effort into it, why don’t these police departments model their awards on other larger departments like the NYPD or LAPD?
@ 2
Wearing awards similar in design but not actual awards, no problem.
Wearing actual awards that are unearned, BIG PROBLEM!
The SGM is right. The city and their police department are very wrong and need to fix it ASAP.
Bunch of lazy turds.
That’s the least of West Valley City’s police problems… They’re a shoddy department all around.
Hondo,
Are you really disagreeing with Bam Bam? His point is that it isn’t stolen valor and in that I agree. The officers are earning them and not claiming them to be what they are not. I don’t see it as Stolen Valor but it is certainly not respectful for the Police Department to be using actual military awards and repurposing them because they are too lazy to get awards that other PD’s are already using for those same purposes.
This may just be one of those things that time will correct, eventually.
Technology has caught up with various departments ability to issue awards. Wasn’t true until fairly recently – recently enough that many of us older folks remember well that any department wishing to honor it’s members had very few options without a great deal of expense.
@6–my father worked out there for a while years back. The phrase “Keystone Cops” seemed to be a common description.
The police need to develop their own ribbons and awards. I also have a problem with them wearing military clothing and gear, but that discussion is for another day.
#6 WV Soldier & #9 NHS,
I live just south of WVC. The WVC gubbment and po-po have SOOOOOO many larger problems (corruption on a major scale, ineptitude), that it’s a relief to see something that they can fix quickly and cheaply without shooting another WVC resident.
There are no fewer than four Police Departments who have their own awards designs or share awards designs (Boston, NYPD, Denver, and Los Angeles). Why not use their awards since they are at least original!
One of us responded on a similar post regarding the cop who testified during the Zimmerman trial, something like this:
“So that means if they get to wear military style awards, I can wear a badge?”
Old Tanker: in essence, yes. He (Bam Bam) indicated he had no problem with PDs “using the same design” as military award ribbons for their own valor/service awards. I do.
Wearing the ribbon for a US military decoration means something very specific – e.g., that the wearer is indicating he/she was awarded that decoration for service with the US military. If that’s not the case, then they should not be wearing in – plain and simple.
Yes, there’s no intent. But lack of intent doesn’t automatically excuse behavior that is wrong. There’s no intent to speed when someone is going 45 in a 35 zone because they didn’t see the sign dropping the speed limit from 45 to 35, either. That’s not generally a winning argument.
I’m only saying it’s not stolen valor….morally wrong, yes. Given that many LEO’s are also veterans you would think that PD’s would be a little more conscientious than this…
STOP this madness!
I have said it once, so I will say it again.
This is an amature PD that IF they were CALEA Certified, they would not be further embarrassed by the jackass response by Wayne ‘Gomer” Pyle, “we did nothing wrong, but will change”.
That is like a saying, “although the suspect was shot and killed, we will make sure next time he is not hand-cuffed before we shoot him dead.”
If the West Valley City PD was CALEA Certified, they most certainly would have had policy, procedure, and proper doctrine that addresses uniforms, awards, medals, ribbons, etc.
Any questions?
PS: No metion of West Valley or West Valley City in CALEA database!
Its pure bullshit. For one there is absolutely nio freaking reason for a policemanman on the beat or patrol or doing an investigation to being wearing a uniform with anything other than a name tag and a badge and sewn on dept patches. You arent going to impress anyone you write a ticket for.
Police awards should be in the form of framed certificates with the citations going in their records. If they insist on medals and ribbons they should be for formal occasions only and should be of a separate design.
The problem with using military medals is that anyone who knows what they are will conclude that they are awards won in the military and now being worn on a police uniform.
Design your own stuff you lazy bastards.
If the police officers are military veterans, then maybe the ribbons they’re wearing are authorized.
As a Viet Nam veteran, when I was a police officer, I wore my military ribbons on special occasions, as authorized by department regulations.
I’m more offended by the continued practice of putting the United States flag on caskets of slain police officers who never served in the Armed Forces.
The caskets of slain police officers should be draped with the either the Utah state flag or the city flag, for that is who they served, not the United States.
Not exactly the same but I’ve seen members of the Charlotte-Meck PD (Charlotte, NC) rocking an air assault badge. Their claim is that their PD has a “helo assault” unit in the situation that they need to respond to calls in a high rise building. Didn’t sit well with me.
Yah its bullshit. Just like none of the posers ever pretends to be a Motor T mechanic, the PD chose to use Silver Stars and Purple heart ribbons instead of the lesser ones.
The FOP should their heads together and design their own medals. So each of the different services can look at another serviceman and have good idea of what his/her has been there and character.Medals and ribbons for full dress only.