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Color of the day (police)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The color of the day is a signal used by plainclothes officers of some police departments in the United States.[1] It is used to assist in the identification of plainclothes police officers by those in uniform. It is used by the New York City Police Department and other law enforcement agencies.[2][3]

A plainclothes police officer will wear a headband, wristband or other piece of clothing in the color of the day,[3] and officers will be told of this color at the police station before they start work.[1][4] The system is for officer safety and first started during the violence of the 1970s and 1980s in New York City.[3]

Purpose

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The color of the day system is about protecting undercover officers. With so many armed officers in New York City, undercover police officers need to have an easy-to-use system to provide for discreet identification of plainclothes officers by uniformed ones.[5]

History

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The now-defunct NYPD Street Crime Unit started in 1971. From the late 1970s through the early 1990s, crime in New York City was at record levels.[6] Undercover officers were asked to go into the New York City Subway and other high-risk areas in plain clothes, or dressed as a homeless person or as a decoy for those victimizing at-risk groups. Many of these officers feared that uniformed officers would mistake them for criminals in a use of force situation,[7] so the wearing of a headband or wristband colored with the color of the day system was developed to prevent friendly-fire incidents.[3]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Fallis, Greg (1999). Just the Facts Ma'am: A Writer's Guide to Investigators and Investigation Techniques. Writer's Digest Books. p. 139. ISBN 0-89879-823-X.
  2. ^ James, George (August 24, 1994). "Police Agencies Share Rules for Recognition". The New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d Krauss, Clifford (August 24, 1994). "Subway Chaos: Officer Firing at Officer". The New York Times. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  4. ^ Changes, Real and Imagined in the NYPD by Jim Fay ENN NYC-NJ Metro Correspondent
  5. ^ "NCJRS Abstract - National Criminal Justice Reference Service". www.ncjrs.gov. Retrieved 2020-05-31.
  6. ^ "New York Crime Rates 1960 - 2007". The Disaster Centre. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
  7. ^ a b Abel, Roger L. (2006). The Black Shields. AuthorHouse. p. 535. ISBN 1-4208-4460-1.
  8. ^ Glass, Leslie (2003). A Killing Gift. New York: Onyx Books. p. 130. ISBN 0-451-41091-2.
  9. ^ "Bad Faith". Law & Order. Season 5. Episode 20. April 26, 1995. NBC.
  10. ^ "Birthright". Law & Order. Season 6. Episode 1. September 21, 2004. NBC.