The very first style of the Minneapolis Police badge was a six-pointed star.
You can see it worn by Officer Henry G. Thompson who is pictured above in uniform along with his family.
During the 1900-1910s, Minneapolis Police Officers wore the first version of a shield-shaped badge. This version was distinguished by the over-sized letters MSPE.
As the twentieth century unfolded, the shield-shaped badge remained the standard, first in a version with an etched eagle and later in a version with a sculpted eagle.
In 2017, in honor of the Minneapolis Police Department’s 150th Anniversary, officers were given the option to wear the six-pointed star again.
If you keep an eye out you will notice many officers wearing this historic style.
Badges from the Collection of the Museum
Photographs courtesy of the Minneapolis Police Department