Behind the Badge
The evolution of policing can be seen in the decades of memorabilia Stan Berry has collected over time. Uniforms, radios and even flashlights have come a long way from the early 1900s.
Much of his collection comes from a time when there were no computers, radios were the stuff of science fiction and orange groves still dominated the landscape in Orange County.
Berry’s large collection includes outdated uniforms, historical badges, equipment and old police periodicals. The collection takes up a considerable amount of space in his home and is constantly expanding.
Unlike other police memorabilia collectors, Berry’s collection is specific to Orange County.
Stan Berry’s collection of old police badges includes some that say “Policeman” instead of “Police Officer.”
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
“I have to credit my grandmother with getting me started,” he said as he showed off his collection. “She gave me a police scanner when I was 6 years old. I would sit in bed at night just listening to all the radio calls.”
His grandmother’s gift ignited a lifelong passion for law enforcement.
Berry joined the Fullerton Police Department’s explorer post in the late 1970s. His light-blue uniform from back then is part of his collection.
After college, he spent some time in the automotive industry but his yearning for police work never really subsided.
He started with the Seal Beach Police Department as a reserve officer then later went full time. Eventually he moved to the O.C. District Attorney’s Office, where he now is a supervising investigator.
A collection of police hats from years gone by includes a standard Fullerton Police hat, right, from the 1920s-’30s.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
“I don’t see myself as just a collector,” Berry said. “Every item I have has a story behind it. If we don’t preserve them, then the stories will just be lost.”
Berry even has travelled out of state to visit with retired Orange County police officers in order to add to the collection.
“They really want to make sure people remember the history of their departments,” Berry said.
He smiled as he shared one of his prized pieces, a tin shield of the Dairyland Police Department. It originally was meant to be affixed to a car in the days before decals.
“Most people today don’t even know there was a city called Dairyland in Orange County,” Berry said.
The Dairyland Police Department was formed with less than 10 officers in 1961. In 1965, the city changed its name to La Palma.
Stan Berry, a supervising investigator for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, shows his extensive police uniform collection from all over Orange County including an older-style uniform from the Huntington Beach PD.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Other police departments that are now gone in Orange County include Stanton, San Clemente and the Orange County Marshall’s office. Berry has collected memorabilia from both of those city departments. Both cities now contract police services with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
Fewer and fewer people are old enough to remember the wide variety of police uniforms that were around even a few decades ago. Powder blue, white and tan-colored uniforms were all at one time or another used by law enforcement agencies in Orange County.
Included in Berry’s collection are old police gear and equipment. There’s an old polygraph machine, a police audio surveillance device or wire from the 1980s and a police radio from the ’60.
Badges inscribed with the word “Policeman” are part of Berry’s collection. These are remnants from an era when women were not employed as patrol officers.
Berry admits he is missing many of the items from the earliest days of policing in Orange County.
An ID card of Daniel Weiss, the last known person to operate the polygraph machine in the 1980s for the O.C. District Attorney’s Office.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
“A lot of items from those days were tossed into trash bins and forgotten. Those still out there are probably in the hands of private collectors.”
Ultimately, Berry wants to preserve his collection someplace where the public can appreciate it.
“I really feel there is a need for us to preserve our policing history in Orange County,” he said. “My dream is to one day have all of this on display in a museum someplace.”
For now, he temporarily displays some of his collection at various police departments when requested. Most recently, his collection was on display at the La Habra Police Department. Berry will be displaying some of his collection at Golden West College 50th anniversary next year.
The need to have a permanent display venue might be sooner rather than later.
Berry’s house seems to be getting a bit crowded these days.
A polygraph machine with the brand name “The Factfinder” that was last used by the O.C. District Attorney’s Office in the 1980s. Polygraph machines are no longer used by the office for criminal investigations. To the right is a photograph of Fullerton Police Chief James M. Pearson who served as chief from 1927-1940, and a 1922 “Carr for OC Sheriff” campaign flyer.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Stan Berry, a supervising investigator for the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, poses in front of his police memorabilia collection.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
