MyReporter: What symbols are included on the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office patch?

Molly Wilhelm, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read
A display in the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office showcasing the evolution of the department's patch overtime.
A display in the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office showcasing the evolution of the department's patch overtime.

Though modest in its design, the patch used by the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office features symbols important to the state of North Carolina.

What elements are included on the patch and why?

Lt. Jerry Brewer, public information officer for the Sheriff's Office, offers valuable insight into the composition of the current department patch and its significance to the law enforcement officers who wear it daily.

More: MyReporter: Why does the Wilmington Police Department patch include a beehive?

What symbols are included and why?

Three main symbols complete the overall design of the patch, including a six-pointed star, the Battleship North Carolina, and a submarine.

Sheriff's stars, in their various iterations, are used by sheriff's departments across the nation to signify countywide jurisdiction, authority, and order, according to Irvin H. Hahn Co., a manufacturing company for police badges across the United States.

More specific to Wilmington, the Battleship North Carolina is included inside of the sheriff's star.

This ship, located in Wilmington at 1 Battleship Road, serves as a "World War II Memorial to the 11,000+ North Carolinians who made the ultimate sacrifice," according to the battleship's webpage.

While not fully certain, Brewer said the outline of the battleship was likely first included on the patch around the 1970s.

Below the battleship is an outline of a North Carolina submarine.

The current patch for the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office incorporates both the Battleship North Carolina and the USS NC SSN 777, a Virginia-class attack submarine that was commissioned as the U.S.S. North Carolina in a ceremony at the Port of Wilmington in 2008.
The current patch for the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office incorporates both the Battleship North Carolina and the USS NC SSN 777, a Virginia-class attack submarine that was commissioned as the U.S.S. North Carolina in a ceremony at the Port of Wilmington in 2008.

The submarine, known as USS NC SSN 777, was commissioned during a ceremony at Port of Wilmington, N.C., in May of 2008, according informational webpage about the submarine's history.

"We added that to (the patch) because it's a USS North Carolina also," Brewer said. The silhouette of the submarine was included on the patch design around 2008 or 2009 after it was commissioned, he added.

Brewer said the department included the symbols out of pride due to the battleship and submarine's presence in New Hanover County.

What does the patch represent?

The patch serves to unify the department and offers clear identification for law enforcement officials.

Patch design is more unique to a department than a badge, Brewer said. While badges often share similarities nationwide, patches highlight unique characteristics of a department or the specific areas it serves.

"I'd say it's very significant," Brewer said about department's patch. "I think people recognize the patch probably before they do the badge."

More information about the history, goals, and command staff of the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office can be found on their webpage here.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: MyReporter: Why does the Sheriff's Office patch include a submarine?