Senta Scarborough
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 28, 2008 07:41 AM
A Mesa police icon, the department’s yellow and blue patch, is retiring.

The bright police patch has stood out on the sleeves of Mesa police officers for more than 30 years.

To some, that’s been a benefit, but for others it’s a risk for officers during tactical situations. The debate ended with a recent vote by Mesa police officers who chose a darker, more subtle blue and silver patch.

“The patch is seen as your department representative. It’s an issue of pride,” said Officer Fabian Cota, president of the Mesa Police Association.

The department isn’t paying for the new patches. Both police unions are helping by providing patches free or at a reduced cost.

With the patch change, Mesa police uniforms will take on a new look by switching the color of metal name tag and service stripes from brushed gold to silver to better match.

A sense of Mesa’s culture and place was added to the patch in the 1960s when a white, green and orange patch worn on a light-blue uniform replaced generic patches. The white and orange was worn until the blue and yellow patch, designed by a police officer and based on a city logo, arrived in 1978.

Patches are often colorful and tell the story of a department’s history, making them a collector’s item for police officers and the public. Some departments provide an explanation of design and history of a patch, including what the colors represent.

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Gary Nelson and Jim Walsh
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 27, 2008 09:18 AM

RE: City of Mesa Budget & the Police Department

“The new policy is to prioritize emergencies and crimes in progress, with non-emergency calls waiting until the next shift arrives or maybe even until the next day for an officer to respond.

Sgt. Fabian Cota, president of the Mesa Police Association, said a lack of support personnel eventually will hurt the department, making it less efficient.

He said there are times when a squad lacks the leadership of a sergeant and that “lead officers” with less experience assume a supervisory role. Other times, a sergeant from another district has been temporarily reassigned to handle a major case.

“As far as the fiscal goals, I can’t really speak to that,” Cota said, “but sometimes, we’re stretched real thin.”

Officers feel bad when calls stack up and go unanswered for hours because it is contrary to their previous training.

“I hate providing inferior police services,” Cota said.”

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March 08 Newsletter

Katie McDevitt
East Valley Tribune
March 12, 2008 - 10:55PM

Many said the bright, colorful patch put police officers’ safety at risk while some said it was confusing to read. But others bemoan the fact that the shield-shaped, yellow and light blue patch, a unique Mesa icon, is changing after 30 years.
The new patch will be navy blue and silver, and has already begun showing up on the sleeves of Mesa police officers.
“There’s a lot of people that expressed some sentimental value with the previous patch,” said Mesa Police Association president Fabian Cota. “It is a very unique patch, but it’s not tactical. It sticks out in the dark.”
Cota said many officers expressed concerns that criminals could easily identify and target them as police.
For this reason and others, Mesa’s uniform committee has decided to change its patch and its look. Officers will soon begin wearing brushed silver - instead of brass - name tags and sergeants’ patches will be outlined in silver, instead of gold. Officers have until March 2009 to change over to the new patches.
“When you see the uniform, it’s going to be a dramatic change,” said detective Chris Arvayo, a Mesa police spokesman.
Arvayo said the city isn’t spending any more money than is usually spent on uniforms for the new look. And Cota said the union he oversees is going to take a vote to see if the union should provide its members with four patches for free.
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