Very cool. Not exactly what I expected. I worked as a freelance photojournalist first in LA, then NYC. I never had an official police pass in LA, but I did find a pass of any kind useful. This is especially true for photogs, because people can be sketchy, especially these days, about a dude taking photos of them & their families. A press badge, of any sort, clarifies & reassures.

I heard too many accounts from colleagues of street cops grabbing their LAPD badges right off them for some perceived infraction to want one for myself. I get an NYPD badge later on, & it, ironically, led to my most lucrative photo: NY's eve in Times Square, NYPD was late in renewing badges for 2016. I spotted the detective in charge of press liaison by the main stage. I went over to ask if he knew when they'd start the process. "You can't be here!" he told me, gesturing urgently. As I turned to leave, I saw the night's headliner, Taylor Swift, being led onto the stage by cops & her people. I swung the camera in her direction & she paused, looking right at me, cool, seductive & totally professional. Though nearly a decade old that shot, an excusive, continues to be one of Shutterstock's best sellers of Swift.