The Texas Ranger Badge

 


By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon


The Texas Rangers have been around in one way, shape, or form since 1823, when the father of Texas, Stephen F. Austin first hired ten men to protect the first American families who settled in Austin's colony in Northern Mexico. In 1835, the Texas Rangers were officially established by the Texas government.

Early Texas Rangers did not use an official badge issued by the state. Those who did have badges would purchase them from their local jeweler or silversmith. Most used a Mexican five or eight peso silver coin to make a Texas Lone Star surrounded by a circle. Other Rangers would order a shield shaped custom badge from a law enforcement supply company.



It wasn't until 1935 when the Texas Rangers began issuing their troops an official badge designed by the Department of Public Safety. The badge had a star with the letters TEXAS surrounding the negative space between the star's rays. The badge was surrounded by leaves similar to the ones on the Great Seal of Texas. The design is used to this day by the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission.



In 1957, the director of the DPS made a change to the badges troopers and Rangers wore, The badge had a Texas Lone Star with a blue enamel background. The style was nicknamed the "bottlecap badge." It was not a very popular design. Ironically, the current state trooper badge is a design heavily influenced by the old bottlecap design.





The Director of the DPS, Colonel (yes, I know there are higher ranks than colonel, but the director holds the rank of colonel despite DPS having higher 'ranking' chiefs) Homer Garrison, redesigned the Ranger badge to one of the first styles used. He obtained a cache of 1946-47 Mexican cinco peso "Cuauhtémoc" silver coins (and some gold 50 peso coins for the higher ranks). He then had a local silversmith fashion the coins into an encircled Texas Lone Star. The top has space for either the Ranger's name, or TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY. The bottom ring says TEXAS RANGERS. The earlier versions of this style had the Ranger's rank of "SERGEANT" in the middle of the star.




The reverse of the badge still has the Mexican golden eagle and the words ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS stamped on it. The edge of the badge also has the ridges like you'd see on an American quarter.

Several Texas law enforcement agencies have adopted the Ranger badge as their own. They are quite popular among Texas sheriffs.

I am aware of the agency's checkered past. I had a college professor tell me the Rangers used to carry a rusted out six-shooter in their saddlebag and would plant it on the body of a Mexican they had just shot dead. Whether that's a legend or a true tale, I do not know. I do know the Rangers are Texas' elite law enforcement agency. 



I am not here to debate the organization's past. As an avid collector of law enforcement memorabilia, I know adding a Texas Rangers badge to the collection would be like finding the holy grail.

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