Behind the Badge
The buyer of the Fullerton Police Department’s pink patch who lives the farthest away from O.C. so far is a retired officer in Scotland.
Not out of the country, but still quite a distance from Fullerton, is a mother from West Virginia who wanted one of the pink patches sent to her daughter, a breast cancer survivor.
Fullerton PD Community Service Officer Kristy Wells says many people in law enforcement and the general community have been impacted by the disease.
“I think a lot of people have been affected in some way, whether they know a family member or friend,” she says. “I think everyone has a story.”
It’s for this reason the agency this year joined the Pink Patch Project, a breast cancer awareness initiative developed in large part last year by the Irwindale Police Department (the IPD got the idea of pink patches from the Seal Beach PD and broadened the effort).
Though the campaign is largely centered in Los Angeles County, organizers are reporting Orange County participants including the Fullerton, Buena Park, Brea and Seal Beach Police Departments, and several out-of-state agencies.
“We’re so excited to have the Orange County agencies participating,” says Irwindale Police Chief Anthony Miranda. “It’s very, very personal and the energy is incredible that [participating agencies]bring to the project.”
Holding Fullerton Police patches for the Pink Patch Project are Sgt. Jose Arana and Community Service Officer Kristy Wells.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Many agencies have really taken the idea and run with it, according to Irwindale Police Sgt. Rudy Gatto.
Some stick to the pink patches, while others sell T-shirts, plush animals, license plate frames, etc.
One agency even received a donated women’s diamond ring to sell raffle tickets for and give proceeds to the Pink Patch Project Fund for Cancer. Each agency selects a local breast cancer group to support and runs its fundraising efforts independently.
“The agencies are getting really creative on how they’re doing it,” says Gatto.
At the Fullerton PD, breast cancer awareness efforts began a few years ago with proceeds from T-shirts sold within the agency donated to St. Jude Cancer Research.
This year, the FPD’s campaign expanded to the community at large with the pink patches. In one month, the agency sold 220 patches, according to Wells, and that’s even before the month of October – Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“It got a lot bigger than I thought it would and very quickly … which I’m very happy about,” says Wells.
The patch’s design is that of the regular Fullerton Police patch, but with pink and black instead of black and silver.
For those who wanted something a little different, Wells put together 4-by-6 framed patches on black matte, which sold for $20, with the loose patches selling for $10. After selling all 150 frames, she had requests for more – which she’s supplying. The campaign will run through the end of October.
“I had a lady last week saying she’s actually collecting the pink patches and will be making a quilt,” says Wells.
The larger initiative as a whole has really taken off, says Gatto. His mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor who had early detection, treatment and 100-percent recovery – so he understands the importance of awareness.
“It’s really exploded,” he says. “It’s a feel-good program that a lot of people have a connection to.”
With half of L.A. County’s law enforcement community committed to the campaign and more than 60 agencies involved, Miranda hopes the effort can go national.
“We want to find a cure, we want to fight cancer and raise awareness,” he says. “I think for me personally at the end of the rainbow that would be awesome to see that as a nationwide effort.”
Said FPD Chief Dan Hughes: “Everyone in the community has been affected in some way by cancer. I continue to be amazed by the efforts of the men and women of the Fullerton Police Department and their desire to help others in need. CSO Wells did a great job organizing and promoting our involvement. We are proud to be a part of the Pink Patch Project, a project that will help us donate funds directly back into the community to fight cancer.”
To purchase FPD patches, email KWells@fullertonpd.org. To purchase the patches from other agencies, visit pinkpatchproject.com
