While a lawful requirement under the Police Act (“cloth shoulder flashes identifying the municipal force shall be worn on all garments”), in recent years, shoulder flashes have become more than just an identifying characteristic of police officers.
They can often be found on the walls of police buildings across the country, on the desks of public officials, or on the duty bags of other members – a memento of a shared past and changing present.
As such, the EDIU proposed to establish a series of community-based additions to our uniform that are designed to be worn, and shared, with pride. This was the first proposal from the then-newly formed EDIU in November 2020.
The idea itself was not ours alone, and had been in the works by several members past and present, in various forms. What helped the EDIU pass the initiative through the uniform committee and SMT was combining them all under one umbrella.
In the end, the Delta Police approved the design and roll out of six community shoulder flashes for each uniformed member, commemorating Pink Shirt Day, Remembrance Day, Orange Shirt Day, Pride, Canada Day, and the Police and Peace Officer’s National Memorial Day.
Uniformed members are free to wear the community flashes on shift in a display of unity, honour, solidarity, commemoration, and/or pride for each highlighted day.
For the second year in a row, members can display their unity against bullying in all forms on their shoulders, in support of Pink Shirt Day.
