UW-Green Bay Police sporting custom Super Bowl badges with pride

When it comes to a police officer’s uniform, there are few elements more critical — or meaningful — than the law enforcement badge. This all-important emblem provides identity, conveys authority and symbolizes an officer’s connection to the community.

For Green Bay-area law enforcement, of course, that community includes the defending world champion Green Bay Packers. So UW-Green Bay Public Safety is among local agencies that recently commissioned a set of official badges commemorating the Pack’s victory in Super Bowl 45. University Police Chief Tom Kujawa and Police Services associate Joe Rozum recently toured Medalcraft Mint, the Green Bay company where the badges were made, to view the process of their creation. Now, many UW-Green Bay officers are sporting the Super Bowl badges with police — and Packer —pride.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsYd4ep4fk8

“It’s the symbol of what you do— you’re understanding that you’re there to protect the community, you’re there for the safety of the community and that the community counts on you,” said University Police Chief Tom Kujawa.

It’s a symbol that, in this case, was carefully designed and created using a precise, detail-oriented 30-step process. Medalcraft has enjoyed working with local police to deliver the high-end badges, says owner and president Jerry Moran. The company also created Super Bowl Badges for the Green Bay Police and Brown County sheriff’s departments, among others.

“As much as we travel around the country and — you know, we’re still very proud that we’re from Green Bay,” Moran said, “and it’s nice to be able to have the ability to manufacture something after the Packers won the Super Bowl — to do it for the local law enforcement, it means a lot.”

Each UW-Green Bay officer had the choice of whether to purchase a Super Bowl badge, and the response was strong — with one notable exception.

“We did have one officer on the department who’s a Chicago Bears fan, and when I was talking to him, I told him that he probably should buy one of these badges, because it’s probably going to be his only opportunity to get a Super Bowl badge,” Kujawa said, laughing. “I don’t think he took me up on the offer, but it’s still open for him.”