CLEARLAKE >> The Clearlake Police Department has decided to become a little more fashion conscious. The department will be updating the emblem worn by officers to match the city’s updated seal.
CPD Lieutenant Tim Celli said their patch is out of date after Clearlake introduce the new seal in an effort to change the image of the city. The patch incorporates the city seal, along with the thin blue line flag.
A uniform committee was formed and the new patch designed in house fby officer Mike Dietrick, a lifelong Lake County resident.
“He’s a part of police department and he designed this patch and we are overwhelmingly proud,” Celli observed.
This design was chosen overwhelmingly by the other staff members over the alternative designs that were introduced.
“The thin blue line flag represents the line between order and chaos and also helps respectfully honor our fallen brethren in law enforcement,” Celli said.
The flag is above the city seal on the patch. This update will help implement one of the goals of the Strategic Plan for Clearlake, which is to improve the image of the city.
“Updating the patch will also bring consistency with other graphics and images representing the Clearlake brand,” Celli said. “We’re very proud of his (Dietrick) work.”
Council member Nick Bennett said the dimmer image of the patch has to deal with officer safety and be more subtle on the uniform.
“This is so it (the patch) doesn’t stand out in evening hours when they’re doing a building search or when the light should hit it, it won’t reflect off of it,”
Vice Mayor Bruno Sabatier had other ideas he would like to see on the patch such as a red stripe with the blue and white flag, however, overall said the patch is a good match for the updates of the city.
“I love the design it fits perfectly with our logo but yet also makes sure to let people know exactly who they are dealing with. The patch is perfect,” Sabatier said.
