ABOVE: NOPD Pride Edition Badge. (Photo courtesy NOPD)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) | The police department of New Orleans authorized a minor uniform change for an annual festival of gay culture in the French Quarter.
A department news release says that some officers will be sporting “Pride Edition Badges” during Southern Decadence, which began Aug. 29 and runs through the Labor Day weekend.
The special badge is designed like the department’s traditional badge, a star framed by a crescent. But this star is rainbow-striped.
The department says the badge was introduced in June to mark Pride Month, when it was made available as an option for officers to purchase and wear. It can be worn again during the weekend Southern Decadence Festival. The department says it will also be an option during future Pride Month and Southern Decadence celebrations.
