Badge of the Ottawa Police Service

Blazon

The shield of Arms of the City of Ottawa (Argent a cross wavy Azure charged with a like cross Argent between in the first quarter the Royal Crown proper and in the fourth quarter a maple leaf Gules on a chief also Gules an astrolabe Argent between to the dexter two arrows in saltire points upwards Argent surmounted by an Indian canoe paddle erect Or and to the sinister a spade and pick axe in saltire Argent surmounted by a grenade Or fired proper) within an annulus Azure fimbriated and inscribed COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMUNAUTAIRE in letters Or, ensigned by the Royal Crown proper and encircled by a wreath of maple leaves Or issuant from a trillium flower proper, the whole resting on a scroll Azure fimbriated and inscribed OTTAWA POLICE D'OTTAWA in letters Or;

Symbolism

The design follows the standard pattern for a Canadian municipal police service badge. The shield at the centre is that of the City of Ottawa, granted by the English Kings of Arms in 1954 and confirmed for the new city in 2001. The design refers to the Ottawa, Rideau and Gatineau rivers and the fact that Ottawa is the capital of Canada. The symbols at the top refer to the original inhabitants of the area (the arrows and paddle), the exploration of Samuel de Champlain (the astrolabe) and the Royal Engineers who created the Rideau Canal (the grenade, pick, and shovel). The Service’s motto, which it inherited from its predecessor body, the Ottawa-Carleton Regional Police Service, is COMMUNITY SERVICE COMMUNAUTAIRE. The Royal Crown symbolizes the fact that the Service enforces the Crown’s laws, while the wreath of eleven maple leaves on each side to indicate the municipalities that amalgamated to form the new City of Ottawa and the trillium flower are references to Canada and Ontario.