The official California Highway Patrol uniform patch was first
adopted in 1948. Its birth resulted from legislation which
separated the California Highway Patrol from the Department
of Motor Vehicles and elevated the patrol to full Department
stature.
The patch is thought to have been designed by a then active
State Traffic Officer. The background design of the patch
is depicted in gold trim on blue field. These are the official
State colors.
Centered in the blue field is the Department's seven point badge
of authority. The seven points of the badge symbolize the
Department's philosophy toward professional law enforcement.
The points at the top represent character and integrity. The
points at either side refer to knowledge and judgment.
Upholding these are the tenets of honor and loyalty.
Sustaining them all is the final tenet of courtesy.
Over the badge is superimposed an abbreviated replica of the
Official Great Seal of the State. Keeping watch over the
tableau of the Great Seal is the armored figure of Minerva
who, in Grecian mythology, was goddess of the arts and sciences,
wise in peace and war. Like the political birth of our State,
she was born full grown from the brain of Jupiter, father of
the gods and guardian of law and order. California was among
the nation's few to be admitted to statehood without first
having gone through the usual probationary period as a
territory.
The California Grizzly Bear (Ursus Horribilis Californicus)
stands at the feet of the goddess. Now extinct in
California, it was a particularly large and fierce animal.
It has long symbolized the state as independent and formidable.
The grape leaves at the nose of the bear are emblematic of the
State's agricultural production.
The miner laboring with pick axe represent industry, while the
San Francisco Bay shipping scene typifies commercial greatness.
The sun rising in the east over the awesome grandeur of the
snow-clad Sierra Nevada Mountain peaks in the background,
contrasts with the desert cactus in the foreground. This is
thought to represent the extraordinarily diverse topography of
the State and also symbolizes the Department's statewide
jurisdiction.
Finally, the Official State Motto, "eureka" (I have found it)
applies either to the principle involved in the admission
of the State or to the success of the miner at work.
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