Question:
What do I do with my deceased family members belongings that appear to be Law Enforcement related:
Old Tickets
Court Papers
Department letterhead and envelopes
Badge Patches
Uniforms
Do I just turn them in or destroy them?
Answer:
If it is just old paperwork, ticket books, etc you can just destroy them. I suggest shredding them. As for patches etc, those I am sure the department they worked for would take them back, I would not throw them out intact as that could lead to all sorts of issues. If the patches are of an older design for the department they might be collectable and there are many out there that have massive patch collections.
If this was me and I had a good family relationship with my dad, as an example, I would take a few items, like a old ticket, maybe a patch or two and some cool old family photos of him in uniform and make up something to remember them by. Like a framed image etc.
But I do not know the details and if this person is worth remembering, I would hope that to be the case but it is hard to know. Most are worth remembering even if there are issues.
In my case I have many patches I have traded with others over the years, I have them all attached to the front of my gun safe so I can remember all those people that gave them to me over the years and the times that went with each of them.
Sorry to hear about the loss of your family member.
Hope this helps.
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