Bettendorf Police Department Recognizes Mental Health Awareness Month with Special Patch in May

May 1, 2025 - The Bettendorf Police Department is continuing its popular Patch Program in May with the return of an important message on officers' uniforms.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and for the second year in a row, BPD is partnering with The Gray Matters Collective to raise awareness and money for this local nonprofit doing great work in our community when it comes to mental health.

To do that, BPD worked with Code 4 Public Safety Emblems in Davenport in 2024 to design a patch that features two ribbons - the green ribbon is for mental health awareness and the purple/turquoise ribbon is for suicide prevention. In the center of the patch, there is a symbol of what's popularly known as the "tree brain" - a metaphor describing the different parts of the brain as a tree that has several different functions that all need to work properly to live a healthy life. Surrounding the "tree brain" are the words - "I will listen" and "You are not alone."

The Mental Health Awareness Patch is in addition to the BPD's Autism Awareness Patch worn in April and the Heart Disease Awareness Patch introduced in February.

GET INVOLVED: BPD is not the only one supporting this cause. Anyone can pre-order a patch for $10 along with apparel that showcases the patch. The online store, created by LogoPro in Bettendorf, is open until May 12, 2025 at 12 p.m. Patches will also be available to purchase in May at the Bettendorf Police Department (1609 State Street). 100% of the proceeds will go to The Gray Matters Collective.

"The Bettendorf Police Department stands with our community," said Doug Scott, Bettendorf Police Chief. "We are committed to raising awareness about mental health and supporting those in need."