‘The Badge’ is now available in the Apple App Store.
The new mobile app, The Badge, is designed to put the mission of the National Law Enforcement Museum—to tell the story of American Law Enforcement—right into the palm of your hands. Learn about officers, discover artifacts, experience the historical moments, and read or add tributes to officers who have fallen in the line of duty. The Badge is like being behind the scenes at the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum (NLEMM).
The Badge features include:
Learn the story behind the officer’s badge
The Officer Spotlight is where both unknown and well-known officers have their stories told. Tap “Find an Officer” to read the continually changing content on officers who have a unique place in American history, from deep undercover work to 19th century Wild West sheriffs to world-renowned detectives. Scroll through the numerous stories and read about what they did and how they lived behind The Badge.
Search for a fallen officer – read and pay tributes
Every single one of the fallen officers who are engraved on the Memorial wall can be found in The Badge. Through sophisticated search and filter capabilities, you can find a specific officer by name, or search by year, age, gender, or state. Each listing features a brief biography, and the map coordinates of where the officer is listed on the Memorial wall.
Tap “Honor the Fallen” and you can read the tributes others have left to officers and add your own, whether to an individual officer or to the law enforcement community as whole. Your tribute can include one of three symbolic emblems: a wreath, a rose, or a blue ribbon, along with a message and a photo. All tributes are moderated by the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum.
Learn beyond the Museum
When you open The Badge, the first section you encounter is “Stats & Facts,” which shares information about the Memorial and Museum, such as interesting articles about law enforcement history and exciting artifacts in our collection. This section will be updated most often with new articles that feature current exhibitions, events, and stories, to expand your knowledge and understanding of American law enforcement. Featured stories at the time of the launch include “Who was the first?” which is an exhibit that tells the story of American law enforcement agencies dating back to 1611 when the oldest known officer, Sir Thomas Dale, was appointed “Marshall of Virginia” and lived in the Jamestown, Virginia Colony.
The development of The Badge
In an effort to bring centuries of law enforcement anecdotes to the 21st century, the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum embarked on a journey to create the newest digital platform for the law enforcement community. The project began in 2019 and evolved over the last twelve months in collaboration between the NLEMM staff and the creative minds at Mondo Robot. As an extension of our organization, The Badge is dedicated to telling and preserving the stories of law enforcement professionals and honoring those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
For the first phase of The Badge, released in August of 2020, the focus is on the foundation of the organization: the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the fallen officers engraved upon it. Each week for ten months the staff of both NLEMM and Mondo Robot discussed vision, intuitiveness, functionality, and opportunity.
In the months and years that follow, The Badge will grow to include numerous features and functionality that will immerse you in the Memorial and Museum experience.
Respect. Honor. Remember.
As the next chapter in law enforcement history unfolds, it is important to remember that there is always more to learn about law enforcement and its role within society. We hope that The Badge experience helps along that journey and as it grows, so will we.
As the NLEMM and Mondo Robot teams continue to collaborate to include more sophisticated features and innovative experiences, your support is needed. Located throughout The Badge are opportunities to be one of those supporters. We cannot do this without you and look forward to your contribution to our everlasting story.
The Badge has been generously supported by Verizon and the Police Unity Tour. Developed by Mondo Robot in collaboration with the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum.
