Most citizens know nothing more about police badges except if one is flashed in their faces they are probably in some sort of trouble.

But police officers would say the universal symbol has another meaning.

Police badges are an essential tool that officers are required to carry or wear when they are on duty, said Chief Elwood G. Williams Jr. of State College Bureau of Police Services.

Both University Police Services and State College Borough officers also must carry an ID card to validate the badge.

State College police order their badges, or as they are properly called, "shields," from a company named Blackinton, which prints a badge catalog, Williams said.

State College police wore seven different badges simultaneously when Williams joined the force in 1961. Ten years later, one uniform model was worn by all officers until 1975 when the current badge was ordered by Williams, who was then the new chief of police.

The changes were simply a matter of taste, he said.

In State College, the badges -- made of a durable, tarnish-proof metal called rhodium -- contain an American Bald Eagle, and the Pennsylvania state seal in the center, said David H. Caster, crime prevention specialist for the borough.

The badges differ slightly among the ranks, some having colored seals instead of plain silver, with the different positions listed at the top of the badge, Williams said.

University police badges are designed in a similar manner with the eagle and the position written out across the shield, said Cindy Carlson, University police officer.

Williams, however, proudly carries a special gold badge his wife bought for him after his completion of 25 years on the force in 1987.

The shield is a pocket badge, which lies flat and is held in its case by a clip. This is the alternative to a shirt badge, which is curved to better fit the breast of the officer, Williams said.

Whatever the fit or style, most everyone can recognize the silver adornment.

"I do think they command respect, they're a sign of authority," Carlson said.