A drug task force challenge coin belongs to a team assembled from several local agencies. No single department owns the team. Members return to their home agencies when a detail ends. The coin is usually the only record they keep of having served on the team.
What Is a County Drug Task Force?
A county drug task force is a team formed by agreement among agencies in the same county or region. Police departments, sheriff’s offices and neighboring jurisdictions pool officers, equipment and funding into one unit. Members are detailed in from their home departments for the length of the assignment.
The team has its own name and leadership, and none of the parent agencies owns that identity. Member agencies often share the funding, so each has a stake in the group.
Task forces led by federal agencies follow a different model, as in our federal task force coins.
Why Task Force Members Want a Coin
Members wear the task force patch only while assigned. Once they rotate out, a drug task force challenge coin is often their only physical reminder of the assignment.
Orders follow a practical pattern. Funding is often shared or grant-based, so someone has to justify the purchase. Teams are small, so quantities stay modest and one person usually handles the order. That person typically answers to a commander and a funding source. Membership turns over, so orders tend to repeat as new people rotate in.
Retirements, transfers back to a home agency and anniversaries all give a team a reason to order. Investigators in other units order for similar reasons, as our criminal investigator coins show.
When a Unit’s Name Is a Word
Many units choose an acronym that spells a word and build their identity around it. The name comes first, and the imagery follows. FANG, the Flint Area Narcotics Group, works this way. Its mascot is a cobra.
A narcotics unit challenge coin often starts with the name itself, which gives the artwork a subject.
Some names spell nothing. In that case the design can start from geography or from the parent agencies. A county outline or the member departments’ initials gives the coin an anchor. If a parent agency is your starting point, our county sheriff coins are a useful reference.
About This FANG Coin
The Flint Area Narcotics Group is a multi-jurisdictional team that has operated in Genesee County since 1985. Our client asked us for a coin that represents the group’s mission and vision. We built the design around its cobra mascot, and the client chose the reverse imagery.
The finished coin has these features:
- Base metal. Chrome-colored metal on both faces.
- Cobra face. The unit’s mascot, sculpted in relief and left unpainted. The bare metal and the light on its raised surfaces form the image.
- Reverse figure. A painted, hooded skeleton in relief, holding a scythe and a yellow and tan block with lettering on its face.
- Currency. Stacks of banknotes sit at the figure’s base.
- Reverse background. Engraved lattice and lettering.
An unpainted face has to hold its image through sculpting alone. Relief depth does that work, because it controls how light catches the cobra’s raised surfaces. The reverse relies on color. Paint fills each area inside its metal outline, and the figure, the block and the banknotes stay distinct.
Can We Use Our Agency Insignia on a Coin?
Agencies control their own badges and seals. Using one without authorization can lead to legal trouble. A department mark on a coin usually needs that agency’s approval first.
If your task force draws members from several departments, confirm with your chain of command and each member agency early. Send us artwork you have clearance to use. We can also design a coin around your team’s identity with no official badge.
If a federal partner sits on your team, secure that partner’s approval as well. Our federal drug enforcement coins feature national agencies.
Design a Coin for Your Task Force
Send us your team’s name, its acronym and any imagery you have in mind. We start on professional artwork at no charge, and you can request unlimited revisions before production. Nothing goes into production until you approve a digital proof.
Orders begin at 50 coins. Most finish 45 to 50 days after artwork approval, and rush production is available. Shipping within the continental U.S. is free. We are veteran-owned and SDVOSB registered in SAM.
Ready to begin? Ask for a free quote, or browse our custom police challenge coins for more designs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a drug task force challenge coin?
A drug task force challenge coin commemorates service on a team of officers detailed in from several agencies. Members keep it as a record of that service after they return to their home departments.
What is a multi-jurisdictional task force?
A multi-jurisdictional task force is a team formed when agencies from different jurisdictions agree to share people, equipment and funding. Members are detailed in from their home departments, and the team operates under its own name and leadership.
Can a task force order coins if it is not a department?
Yes. A task force has its own name and leadership, so it can commission a coin under its own identity. Orders usually come from a commander or a designated member who coordinates the project.
What goes on a narcotics unit challenge coin?
Common elements include the unit’s name or acronym, a mascot, a county outline, member agency initials and a motto. Official badges appear only with authorization from the agency that owns them.
Can a coin be designed around a unit’s acronym?
Yes. When an acronym spells a word, that word often becomes the subject of the artwork. The Flint Area Narcotics Group coin follows this approach with a cobra, the unit’s mascot.
Can one face of a coin be left unpainted?
Yes. Bare metal can serve as the design on one face. Sculpted relief shapes the image through light and shadow. The other face can then use color.
Can we use our agency’s insignia on a coin?
Usually, with authorization. Agencies control their own badges and seals, so confirm approval before including one. We can also design around your team’s identity with no official mark.
What is the minimum order?
The minimum order for a custom challenge coin is 50 pieces. Shipping within the continental U.S. is free, and every project includes free artwork, unlimited revisions and a digital proof before production.
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