Meet the most decorated detective in NYPD history

November 11, 2015 6:18 PM

A challenge coin has been struck to commemorate Det. Ralph Friedman's service in the NYPD. He is the most decorated detective in NYPD history.
posted by Talez (25 comments total)

while the rear exhibits 4 death-heads symbolizing the number of lives he took in the line of duty

Presumably to indicate 4 moments of tragedy and to remind us that everybody has failures in their career?
posted by Artw at 6:23 PM on November 11, 2015 [5 favorites]

"Justified 4X"

Man. Police culture is some seriously fucked-up shit.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:34 PM on November 11, 2015 [32 favorites]

He's a 70s badass stationed at Fort Apache in da Bronx.

Here is a video all about him. Production is amateur and annoying (to me at least) but...

Part 1.

Part 2.
posted by AugustWest at 6:38 PM on November 11, 2015

while the rear exhibits 4 death-heads symbolizing the number of lives he took in the line of duty

I'm hoping this isn't the basis of determining who wins challenges. (How do these work for cops?)
posted by ChurchHatesTucker at 6:42 PM on November 11, 2015

Given that he has a tattoo with the text, it looks like Justified 4X is a bit of his shtick.

It's kind of weird that the coin doesn't list how many arrests (over 2000!) he made, or how many successful prosecutions he enabled. Police culture indeed.
posted by lumensimus at 7:24 PM on November 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

Yeah yeah deaths-heads! They should totally make those a part of the uniform!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 7:31 PM on November 11, 2015 [20 favorites]

He was invulnerable to bullets until the day he smiled.
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:34 PM on November 11, 2015 [2 favorites]

I'm really uncomfortable with challenge coins for cops. It comes from military culture & it's yet another sign of militarization of law enforcement, albeit a minor one.
posted by scalefree at 7:35 PM on November 11, 2015 [18 favorites]

Look, celebrating kills in police culture is troubling, but the Justified 4x may be as much about reminding himself not to feel guilty all the time.
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:40 PM on November 11, 2015

He kind of comes off as the ultimate J.K. Simmons character.
posted by Halloween Jack at 7:41 PM on November 11, 2015

But it's for the children!
posted by clavdivs at 7:51 PM on November 11, 2015

Well, sorry, but this coin looks pretty shitty. I've seen a lot better work. And yeah, I feel pretty uncomfortable with what it celebrates.
posted by limeonaire at 7:54 PM on November 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

It's a murder pog, basically.
posted by Artw at 7:56 PM on November 11, 2015 [42 favorites]

Yeah yeah deaths-heads! They should totally make those a part of the uniform!

I'm not sure that an "...are we the baddies?" moment is going to happen.
posted by Pope Guilty at 8:14 PM on November 11, 2015 [8 favorites]

Challenge coins are the worst thing I ever heard about on 99% invisible.
posted by Bistle at 8:31 PM on November 11, 2015 [1 favorite]

Sorry to derail, but... the great thing about challenge coins and medals is that there's a whole infrastructure set up to make custom ones to your specification, cheaply. Want to celebrate six months at your lame startup? Challenge coin. Cut your thumb installing your air conditioner? Medal. Get a headache after drinking three bottles of Merlot? Medal, medal, medal. My wife gave an internal talk at a bank once, and they gave her one of these. Reward yourself-- award yourself!
posted by phooky at 8:38 PM on November 11, 2015 [8 favorites]

Get a headache after drinking three bottles of Merlot? Medal, medal, medal.

Inebriated 3x

And to further the mitchell and webb references in this thread, sex trophy for being a sex champion!
posted by Perfectibilist at 12:05 AM on November 12, 2015

> That NY Post article makes Friedman sound like an absolutely blood-thirsty psychopath.

It's the Post. That's how you know they admire him.
posted by ardgedee at 3:33 AM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

Get a headache after drinking three bottles of Merlot? Medal, medal, medal.


Technically, that would only be a "Purple Teeth medallion with two oak-leaf clusters."
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 5:03 AM on November 12, 2015 [1 favorite]

Mildly related: "Have you noticed that our caps have actually got little pictures of skulls on them?"

Yeah, what Pope Guilty said.
posted by mhum at 8:52 AM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]

"Challenge coin? That's terrible! They shouldn't be issuing challenge coins!"

Whispers to person next to him "What the heck is a challenge coin?"
posted by eye of newt at 12:10 PM on November 12, 2015 [2 favorites]

Challenge coins are the worst thing I ever heard about on 99% invisible.

The mass slaughter of elephants to make billiard balls was abhorrent enough? Military dick swing bar game is your upper limit?

The producers of the show thing they are pretty neat.
posted by MiltonRandKalman at 2:16 PM on November 12, 2015

I had heard about the abhorrent mass slaughter of elephants elsewhere, you are missing my point. I'm aware the show thinks the coins are neat, I wish that were not the case.
posted by Bistle at 7:08 PM on November 17, 2015

The show isn't making billiard balls for a pledge drive, why are they casting murder coins?
posted by Bistle at 7:10 PM on November 17, 2015

Okay I finally found the link explaining what challenge coins are, for those of you as clueless as I am.
posted by eye of newt at 9:16 PM on November 22, 2015