Air Force Security Police Badge

The Air Force Security Police Shield is a military badge of the Air Force Security Forces of the United States Air Force. Originally known as the "Air Police Shield", the Air Force Security Police Shield has existed since the early 1960s. The shield is worn in the center of the left shirt pocket of all Air Force uniforms, with the exception of the Mess Dress Uniform, where it is not worn in accordance with (IAW) AFMAN 31-201v3, para. 1.15.1.5.2., and is the primary identification for officers and enlisted airmen of the Air Force Security Police.

The Air Force Security Police Shield is considered a symbol of legal authority and Force Protection on Air Force Installations. The shield is awarded to all Security Forces (SF) members upon graduation from the Security Forces Academy (Tech school). Each shield is imprinted with a unique number that the Security Forces Member will wear their entire SF career.

A similar decoration to the Air Force Security Police shield is the Air Force Fire Protection Badge.

In 1947, the United States Air Force separated from the Army, and the proud tradition of the Security Forces began. At first, the Security Forces were still called the Military police, and still wore the old Army arm band, or brassard. Soon the Military Police were renamed the Air Police, but they continued to wear the arm band. During this change the brassard was redesigned to show the words Air Police in yellow on a background of Air Force blue. Further editions of the brassard showed the same Air Police in dull gray on a background of dark blue.

Despite the history behind the Military Police brassard, many Air Police of the time felt that it was a poor insignia of authority. The brassard was prone to wrinkle extensively during the course of duty, and often slipped down the arm. As result, Air Police leadership requested a shield to replace the brassard.

The idea of a more permanent shield was met with overwhelming enthusiasm by the Air Police. Some units even began to fashion shields to be worn on the uniform before the official shield was produced. Many of these original shields survive today and can be seen on display at the Security Forces Museum, Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. In many cases it is unknown when or where these 'pre-shields' were produced and worn, but the enthusiasm for the creation of an official shield continued to grow consistently across the career field.

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