Through the historical account of the author, the power of the IACP's insignia emerges as a means of enhancing the image of the association and the cohesiveness of its membership. The historical review indicates that a meeting was convened in 1893 in Chicago to form the National Association of Chiefs of Police of the United States and Canada. The National Bureau of Identification (NBI) was also established. After the NBI's services became recognized as a valuable source of information, members of the NBI and the national police association recognized the need to identify themselves in official correspondence. In 1902 at a police convention, the name IACP was used for the first time. Work commenced on the development of an IACP monogram. Insignias of both the NBI and the IACP, however, tended to be misused. At the time of World War I, the IACP insignia was prominently displayed on a publication of its convention proceedings. That insignia was later refined and came to be used with greater frequency and accepted by members. By 1938, the insignia became the IACP's official symbol. The final version of the IACP insignia was copyrighted in 1988. 38 footnotes