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Russell wrote:I don't understand why having a badge while you are a firefighter (volunteer or not) is a big problem.

You are a public servant.

What's the problem with having a firefighter badge?

Well, I would agree, but I was in NY State at the time and the law was even more specific than TX. If you showed a badge, then you were acting with intent, even at a fire or rescue scene. The only ones "authorized" to wear a badge, except at formal ceremonies and parades, were Fire Police (we had one in our department) and (sworn) Fire Investigators.

Most of the firemen that I knew carried their badges anyway, but the fireman badge was smaller and pretty much recognizeably different from a police badge. I should have made clear though, I was a Lieutenant at the time, and the resemblance between an officers' larger gold badge, at least the ones we used, and the detective unit in the nearby city was very high.

Interestingly enough, I had a simliar conversation with a friend who happened to be a NY State Policeman, and he pointed out that you never saw a trooper with a badge on unless it was a dress occasion. After that conversation I watched for it and did note that was so.

OTOH, I, probably illegally, stopped traffic for a couple of wrecks by flashing my badge, and also "officiated" at fire scenes with the badge on.

The TX statute at least includes "intent" where in NY the intent was assumed, but you are probably going to wind up explaining yourself to a judge if a LEO takes exception to your badge.

Up to 24/0

Think of it this way. The only person you could legitimately display the badge to would be the one most likely to arrest you for impersonating a LEO, that is, A LEO.

I don't have the relevant law at my fingertips, but I'll bet that TXInvestigator does, and it's pretty much a no-no.

A whole bunch of years ago I was a volunteer fireman and had a cop tell me that he was going to arrest me for impersonating an officer just for having the badge in a badge and pass case in my pocket. I also received the same "advice" for having it pinned to the inside of my fire jacket.

In the first situation I was able to point out that the reason he had seen my badge case was because I had emptied my pockets at a security checkpoint and he turned me loose with notice that he had better never see me flash it, etc.

The second time I was bending over to pick up some items at the scene of a rescue and my jacket gaped open, and the cop standing nearby saw the badge. He was from my town and was a little more circumspect, but did ask why I would bother to carry it if all it would do was get me in trouble.