Remembering 9-11-01.
We will not forget!

The Sheriff's Office



Badges of County Sheriff's


Sheriff Tommy O'Grady hadda have some more space but the Chief doesn't get along with no Sheriffs, so Mikey hadda do the dirty deed and rent him this little closet....

Click on the thumbnail

An ornate star from a deputy sheriff in DeKalb County, Illinois, probably 1940's

By about the 1950s, northern Illinois Sheriff's were using "Sheriff's Police" as an agency title.  DeKalb County was no exception.

This large, flat tin from Kane County, Illinois was hand engraved. The heavy, dark patina is indicative of its age, probably pre-1920's

A much later star from Kane County, probably circa 1950s, included ornate arms and a solid disc without a state seal.

About the same era, this special deputy's badge was gold plated, though nearly all the plate has worn away.  These were also commonly given to railroad police by the sheriff.

Mrs. Ruby Ely served the Marshall County, Illinois Sheriff's Department in many capacities during the 1940's under Sheriff Zenith Graves. Not only was she the "lady bailiff" and Matron but she also ran a boarding house, a catering service and she was an LPN in order to make ends meet and support her war-disabled husband. Mrs. Ely died in the early 1990's.

A six point ball tipped star from Du Page County, Illinois. Note the holes worn into the ball tips of this star that probably dates to the 20's or earlier.

Du Page County wore a hat badge very similar to the Illinois State Police during the same era.  Du Page seems to always have worn gold, a tradition still  practiced today, even on the department's patrol units. 

This large 5-point ball-tipped star was very commonly used in the suburbs of Chicago and Du Page  County was no exception.  Circa 1960s

This smaller version of the above badge was sometimes worn in the wallet or on a shirt while the large version was for the coat but commonly used for a shirt as well.

A six point flat star for a special deputy in Peoria County, Illinois with simple ornamentation on the arms.

Another Peoria County star shows a little fancier ornamentation on the face.

Yet another Peoria County deputy's star, this one wreathed.  Note the crooked placement of the star on the wreath.

This tin star was probably worn on a lapel by a deputy in the Macoupin County, Illinois Sheriff's Office, 1920s or before.  It measures approximately an inch and a half.

When the Sheriff of Pike County, Illinois purchased this simple eagle top in the early 1900's, he probably paid no more than twenty-five cents for it.

Another early 1900s deputy sheriff's shield, this one from Kendall County, Illinois, shows tarnish indicative of its age.  

This Boone County deputy sheriff's shield is an oddity in the northern Illinois region where most departments use stars.

A later badge in Boone County, circa 1950-60s, was the more traditional 5-point ball-tipped star.  It also included an ornamental ticking around the edge of the disc.

This flat tin star of the Sangamon County, IL sheriff is the epitome of the "old west style" badge, including the flat ball-tips.  Circa 1910s
This small star from Tazewell County, IL also typifies the era of 1920s or before.  Note the badge number.  Not just badge "6" but badge "06".

A 1950's era Will County, Illinois is a more commonly found style
among that region's badges.

Winnebago County, Illinois deputy's wore this smaller ball tipped star.
The pin was attached horizontally as opposed to the more common vertical application

A King County, Washington Deputy Sheriff's badge, probably dating from the 1940's to 50's shows a unique style along with a well-worn George Washington.

Los Angeles County "walking bear" badges were known for having some unusual titles.  This was for the "Communications Reserve", a rarely found badge.

This Los Angeles County deputy's star was for the Flood Control District.  Oftentimes, LA County Sheriff would deputize members of other government organizations or even railroads so they had arrest or enforcement powers

This Lee County, VA "tin star" is also known in collecting as a "flat star" since there are no attached panels, seals, etc. 

San Bernardino County, CA, used the traditional 7-point star with reverse enamel panels.  The white-ringed seal, this one the custom county seal, was popular in the 1930s-1940s in California.

A large green cactus sits in the center of the Yuma County AZ deputy badge, a part of the custom county seal.

The Station House, Police Badge Network, Copyright © 2011, Dave Arnold. All rights reserved. The photographs, graphics and data contained in this Web site are the properties of the contributors, Dave Arnold, badgesource.com  or copcar dot com and may not be used without expressed written consent.

Webmaster  Dave Arnold
This Web site is best viewed using Internet Explorer. Some features may not appear correctly when viewed with Netscape.