The Secret Service announced a brand-new unified insignia badge for all law enforcement personnel on Wednesday, a first in the agency’s 161-year history.
Blackinton, a private company located in Attleboro Falls, Massachusetts, is the manufacturer of the new badge, featuring a raised star around a circular shield.
The blue highlights on the badge symbolize law enforcement, while gold accents represent previous command emblems used by Secret Service police, the agency said. The words “Special Agent” are featured at the bottom of the badge with the year of the agency’s founding, 1865, above. The badges are plated in 24-karat gold and made mostly by hand.
The Secret Service said the new badge is intended to symbolize the agency’s unified goal of safeguarding both national infrastructure and political leaders. The previous special agent badges have been in use since 2003.
“When I first joined the Secret Service twenty-five years ago, one thing stood out to me immediately: while we all served the same mission, our law enforcement personnel were represented by different badges,” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a release. “I’ve always felt there was an opportunity to better reflect who we are as an agency today — one team working together in service of our integrated mission.”
“It’s just an honor making a product for the people that protect the President,” Blackinton CEO David Long said in the release. “The badge is something someone wears day in and day out for years.”
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The first finished Blackinton-made badge was given to Curran on June 3.
The press release said the new design is already being distributed to Secret Service personnel, but both the new design and older badges will remain in use until all Secret Service officers have received the new design.