Color of the day (police)
Encyclopedia
The color of the day is a signal used by undercover
officers
of some police
departments in the USA
. It is used to assist in the identification of plainclothes police officers by uniformed officers. Perhaps its best known use is by the New York City Police Department
(NYPD), the NYPD Transit Bureau (formerly the New York City Transit Police
) and the NYPD Housing Bureau (formerly the New York City Housing Authority Police Department
) among other law enforcement agencies
. An undercover police officer will wear a headband
, wristband
or other piece of clothing in the same color as the "color of the day"; this color is told to officers at the station house
before they start work. The system is for officer safety and first started during the violence
of the 1970s and 1980s New York City. The color of the day system is not known by most of the public
but it is found in the media, such as news
papers, in fiction, and television, such as episode
s of NYPD Blue
and recently Law and Order: SVU.
city with a population
of over 8,310,000 people with over 18,800,000 people living in the area around it. An extra 500,000 people enter the city during a weekday
. Many different police agencies operate in the New York area. The color of the day system is about officer safety. With so many armed officers in the city, undercover police officers need to have an easy to use system in place to provide for discreet, but easy identification of plainclothes officers by uniformed ones. The system is in place to prevent uniformed officers from interrupting undercover operations.
s in plain-clothes or dressed as a homeless person as a decoy. Many of these officers were black
and had a fear that uniformed officers would mistake them for criminals in a use-of-force situation. Many of these officers would dress and pretend to be drunk, homeless
people or as decoy victims in order to catch muggers who were attacking those at-risk groups. The color of the day system was developed to prevent friendly fire incidents. In the beginning, specifically colored headbands were given to each undercover Street Crime Unit member. Other officers would be briefed on that color to allow them to quickly recognize the undercover officers, while the general public would not notice anything unusual. This began the "Color of the Day" system. Later they also used wristbands in a similar manner. Today's officers often dress in the color.
Undercover
Being undercover is disguising one's own identity or using an assumed identity for the purposes of gaining the trust of an individual or organization to learn secret information or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence...
officers
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
of some police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
departments in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is used to assist in the identification of plainclothes police officers by uniformed officers. Perhaps its best known use is by the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
(NYPD), the NYPD Transit Bureau (formerly the New York City Transit Police
New York City Transit Police
The New York City Transit Police Department was a law enforcement agency in New York City that existed from 1953 to 1995. The roots of this organization go back to 1936 when Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia authorized the hiring of Special Patrolmen for the New York City Subway system...
) and the NYPD Housing Bureau (formerly the New York City Housing Authority Police Department
New York City Housing Authority Police Department
The New York City Housing Authority Police Department was a law enforcement agency in New York City that existed from 1952 to 1995. The roots of this organization go back to 1934 and the creation of the New York City Housing Authority. New York City Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia authorized the...
) among other law enforcement agencies
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
. An undercover police officer will wear a headband
Headband
A headband is a clothing accessory worn in the hair or around the forehead, usually to hold hair away from the face or eyes. Headbands generally consist of a loop of elastic material or a horseshoe-shaped piece of flexible plastic or metal...
, wristband
Wristband
Wristbands are encircling strips worn on the wrist, made from a variety of materials depending on the purpose. The term can be used to refer to the bracelet-like band of a wristwatch, to the cuff or other part of a sleeve that covers the wrist, or to decorative or functional bands worn on the wrist...
or other piece of clothing in the same color as the "color of the day"; this color is told to officers at the station house
Police station
A police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
before they start work. The system is for officer safety and first started during the violence
Violence
Violence is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes. violence, while often a stand-alone issue, is often the culmination of other kinds of conflict, e.g...
of the 1970s and 1980s New York City. The color of the day system is not known by most of the public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
but it is found in the media, such as news
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
papers, in fiction, and television, such as episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s of NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue
NYPD Blue is an American television police drama set in New York City, exploring the internal and external struggles of the fictional 15th precinct of Manhattan...
and recently Law and Order: SVU.
Purpose
New York City is a very large metropolitanMetropolis
A metropolis is a very large city or urban area which is a significant economic, political and cultural center for a country or region, and an important hub for regional or international connections and communications...
city with a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of over 8,310,000 people with over 18,800,000 people living in the area around it. An extra 500,000 people enter the city during a weekday
Weekday
Weekday may either refer to only a day of the week which is part of the workweek thus not part of the weekend or to any of the days of the week.-Weekday as a day of the workweek:In most countries the days of the workweek are:# Monday# Tuesday# Wednesday...
. Many different police agencies operate in the New York area. The color of the day system is about officer safety. With so many armed officers in the city, undercover police officers need to have an easy to use system in place to provide for discreet, but easy identification of plainclothes officers by uniformed ones. The system is in place to prevent uniformed officers from interrupting undercover operations.
History
The NYPD Street Crimes Unit started in 1971. From the late 1970s through the early 1990s, crime in New York City was at record levels. Undercover officers were asked to go into areas such as subwayRapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...
s in plain-clothes or dressed as a homeless person as a decoy. Many of these officers were black
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
and had a fear that uniformed officers would mistake them for criminals in a use-of-force situation. Many of these officers would dress and pretend to be drunk, homeless
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
people or as decoy victims in order to catch muggers who were attacking those at-risk groups. The color of the day system was developed to prevent friendly fire incidents. In the beginning, specifically colored headbands were given to each undercover Street Crime Unit member. Other officers would be briefed on that color to allow them to quickly recognize the undercover officers, while the general public would not notice anything unusual. This began the "Color of the Day" system. Later they also used wristbands in a similar manner. Today's officers often dress in the color.