As used in this chapter, the term "official police officer's badge" means a badge of the size, type and design last approved by resolution of the city council for the use of regular police officers. Such badge shall bear on the face thereof the title or rank of the person to whom it was issued. All badges of each title or rank shall be consecutively numbered, and the numbers shall appear on the face of each badge.
(Code 1960, § 3210)
As used in this chapter, the term "regular police officers and members of the Costa Mesa police reserves" means all regular police officer members of the police department of this city appointed and duly commissioned and sworn in, as provided by law, to perform the duties of police officers, or reserve police officers, and not retired from active duty, suspended or discharged.
(Code 1960, § 3210)
No officer or employee of the city shall:
(a) 
Issue any official police officer's badge, except to persons lawfully entitled thereto under the provisions of this chapter.
(b) 
Issue to any person whatsoever any honorary police badge or any other badge calculated to indicate that the holder thereof is a member of or connected with the police department of the city, except that official police officers' badges may be issued to persons lawfully entitled thereto as elsewhere provided in this chapter.
(c) 
Assign, sell, give away or authorize the transfer or use of any badge, the issuance of which is prohibited by this chapter.
(Code 1960, § 3211)
(a) 
No person shall act as a funeral escort officer except a person commissioned as a police officer by the chief of police.
(b) 
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, a funeral escort officer may wear a deputy sheriff's badge, provided such badge has been issued to him by the sheriff of this county.
(c) 
No funeral escort officer shall wear, while acting as such, any uniform other than one prescribed by the chief of police for such use, or a uniform prescribed for such use by the sheriff.
(d) 
Funeral escort officers shall not wear sidearms while escorting funerals.
(Code 1960, § 3221)
Official police officers' badges shall be issued only by the chief of police, and the same shall be issued only after official action is taken by the city council authorizing the issuance of the same.
(Code 1960, § 3225)
The chief of police may issue one official police officer's badge to each regular and reserve police officer. Neither the chief of police nor any other officer or employee of the city shall issue any official police officer's badge to any person not a regular or reserve police officer. The chief of police may issue a civilian police department badge to the civilian employees and volunteers of the police department which identifies the employee's position as not a regular or reserve police officer.
(Code 1960, § 3226; Ord. No. 94-2, § 1, 2-22-94)
All official police officers' badges shall be the property of the city, and shall at no time become the personal property of any individual. When any person shall sever his connection with the police department, or shall retire on pension, it shall be his duty to return his official police officer's badge to the chief of police.
(Code 1960, § 3229)
(a) 
The chief of police shall appoint an officer of the police department to be the custodian of all badges and no official police officer's badge shall be distributed to any regular police officer, except by the custodian, who shall make a complete record of all badges so distributed, and shall distribute the same only in the manner prescribed to the persons mentioned in this chapter.
(b) 
The custodian shall be responsible for the delivery of the badges, and it shall be his duty to recall any and all badges of persons who have severed their connections with the police department or who have retired on pension.
(Code 1960, § 3230)
(a) 
No person shall have in his possession any official police officer's badge which has not been lawfully issued to him according to the provisions of this chapter. No person shall possess any such badge after his right to use such badge has been terminated.
(b) 
Except as provided in this chapter, no person shall have in his or her possession any other badge, star, shield, miniature, ring, charm or insignia, regardless of the size, shape or design thereof, which has on it the words "police" or "detective" whether used separately, together or in combination with any other words indicating a connection with the police department, or which is identical in design or which resembles an official police officer's badge or civilian police department badge that it may be readily mistaken for such badge.
(c) 
No person who is not a regular or reserve police officer or a civilian employee or volunteer of the police department shall wear or display any badge, star or insignia calculated to indicate that he or she is a member of or connected with the department of police of the city.
(Code 1960, § 3231; Ord. No. 94-2, § 2, 2-22-94)
(a) 
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, the city council may authorize any person who has been, during his lifetime, a duly and regularly appointed, commissioned and sworn police officer or any employee or officer of this city and who has honorably left the service of the city, to retain and carry any badge lawfully issued to him or otherwise lawfully acquired by him during his service or incident to his retirement, provided the word "retired" is plainly shown on such badge by being engraved or embossed thereon or otherwise permanently affixed thereto.
(b) 
The badge shall be especially adopted or approved for such specific purpose by the chief of police.
(c) 
Upon the return of the retired officer to active duty, or upon his death, the retired officer's badge shall be returned to the chief of police.
(d) 
Any honorary badge or other badge lawfully acquired indicating that the bearer occupied public office in this city, upon which appears the bearer's name or initials and which plainly shows the word "retired" may be retained.
(e) 
Nothing in this section shall be deemed to authorize the use of any badge herein mentioned for any unlawful purpose and any such badge so used may be confiscated by the city council.
(f) 
Any badge mentioned in this section shall be subject to confiscation by the city council if worn or displayed by any person other than the true owner, and shall be returned to the true owner only upon a showing that such use was without his consent, express or implied.
(Code 1960, § 3232)
No person other than a sworn police officer shall wear any uniform of a pattern or design or in the semblance of the uniform adopted by the city council for the use of the regular members of the police department.
(Code 1960, § 3233)
(a) 
The chief of police is hereby authorized and directed to issue to each and every person entitled to wear a badge, a numbered identification card which shall bear the printed name, serial number, signature, photograph and right index fingerprint of each such regular police officer.
(b) 
Each such card shall bear the signature of the chief of police, or his duly appointed deputy, in office at the time of issuance of such identification card. Each identification card shall state thereon the position of the holder in the city.
(Code 1960, § 3235)
No person other than a duly authorized person shall have in his possession any identification card issued to, or intended to be issued to, or purporting to have been issued to, a regular police officer of this city; provided, however, that an honorably retired police officer may retain the police identification card after the word "retired" has been printed across the face of the police identification card.
(Code 1960, § 3236)
No person shall print or issue or have in his possession any identification card similar to the identification card mentioned in section 14-33, or any identification card stating that the person whose name appears thereon is a police officer or employee of this city.
(Code 1960, § 3237)
(a) 
No person shall use the title "chief of detectives" alone or in connection with any other term, phrase, symbol, initial or language in carrying on any private business, employment or activity.
(b) 
No person shall, in connection with any private business, employment or activity, use the title "chief of police," "police chief," "detective" or any other title or designation whatever calculated to indicate an official connection with the police department of this city or with the police force of any other government or governmental agency, unless accompanied by additional language clearly displaying, without the use of initials or symbols, the identity of the private agency or employer on whose behalf the user of the title or designation is acting or purporting to act.
(Code 1960, § 3239)