Members shall neither acquire, purchase, sell, trade or possess items of identification (e.g., badge, cap piece, or identification card), which are similar to, or could be mistaken for, official Department identification. For purposes of this subsection, "official Department identification" means only those items issued by this Department.
This does not include the official shoulder patch as worn by members of this Department.
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to prohibit the acquisition of items of official Department identification by members of this Department or by the families of members of this Department for approved unofficial purposes (e.g., badge collections, plaques, mementos, etc.), whether the member is still employed, retired, deceased or otherwise separated from the Department, so long as the acquisition has been personally approved by the Sheriff or his designated representative.
For replacement of authorized items of identification, see the Uniform and Equipment chapter.