About Us/FAQ
About Us/Where we get our patches
As mentioned at the bottom of the page, The Patch Wall was created by a small group of people who collect Police, Fire, and EMS patches. This website was designed to showcase those patches on our wall, and allow everyone to view each individual patch, and view information on where and how we obtained it. Unfortunately, some departments don't send out patches due to the risk of Police/Fire/EMS impersonation. Because of this, it's not always possible to get patches directly from departments. Some of our patches may come from members of the public or ex-police officers who got their hands on a specific agency patch. Before adding these we try to verify the authenticity of the patch, and if we're unable to do so (a majority of the time), we do not mark the patch as "Official".
What is an "Official" patch?
The following patches are marked as "Official"- The patch was sent directly from an agency/department
- The patch was sent by the public, but verified to be authentic
- The patch was purchased from an official agency website
What is a "Processing" patch?
If a patch is "Processing", it means that we've received the patch, and it's at least started in our system. We first need to enter the details, snap a picture, and make sure everything is ready to go. This is usually by the end of the week (read below).
I sent you a patch, how long will it take to appear online? ("Processing Backlog")
We sometimes receive more than a dozen patches per week. We catalog each of these with images, department names/groups, city/county/state information, patch types, request/obtain dates, and much more. We publish 1 patch per day, Monday-Friday. This usually creates a lengthy backlog (see current backlog times on our homepage), so your patch may not be displayed immediately. We do however publish department names within a week or two of receiving a patch, this is a good way to find out if we've received your patch.