Officers in the Houston Christian University (HCU) Police Department received new badges reflecting the University鈥檚 new name during a badging ceremony held Dec. 14, in Belin Chapel inside HCU鈥檚 Morris Cultural Arts Center.
During the ceremony, HCU police officers retired their old badges and were pinned with new badges by HCU Police Chief John Karshner. The pinning ceremony was witnessed by HCU Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operations Officer Sandy Mooney and HCU Facilities and Campus Operations consultant, Wayne Spary.
鈥淭his is the official rebadging of the police department, and this is the third iteration of the badge,鈥� said Chief Karshner. 鈥淭he new badges are a mix of the first two [badges] and a little bit of the new.鈥�
Preceding the pinning ceremony, Mooney lifted a prayer for the safety and protection of the officers and their families.
鈥淭his is just a very momentous occasion that we are able to confer the new badges on our police officers. I think this is such a great opportunity to complete the name change and have everybody representing the new name for the University in all their work and I am excited to see it happen,鈥� said Mooney.
Not only did HCU police officers receive their new badges, but each officer also had the opportunity to buy back their old badges as a keepsake.
The ceremony pays homage to a long-standing police tradition that takes place when an officer retires and his or her badge can be purchased back by the retiring officer for a dollar. In this instance, the badges were retired, and officers were given the opportunity to purchase their old badges, and they each did. The monies will now go into the University treasury.
Spary described the occasion as 鈥渁 great time to celebrate the changes not only in the branding of the school鈥� but also a celebratory time for officers as they donned their new badges and continued to carry out their mission to protect and serve.
The new badges are one of the components of HCU鈥檚 comprehensive efforts to promote the University鈥檚 new name, brand and messaging.