A Toronto police officer is being reprimanded for wearing a Punisher emblem on their uniform.
"The officer wearing the patch has been identified and he has been directed to remove it immediately," a spokesperson for the Toronto Police Department told The Star. "It is not approved, nor appropriate, for him to be wearing it on his uniform. This is now a matter of internal discipline, and as a result I am unable to offer anything further."
The officer in question was spotted at a news conference on Sept. 8 sporting the emblem on their chest, along with the message, "Make no mistake, I am the sheepdog."
Police and military co-opting the Punisher logo isn't a new occurrence. However, it is one many find problematic, given the Marvel Comics character the skull represents. Even Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway weighed in on the matter in 2019, saying, "Any 'cop' who wears a Punisher logo in his official capacity is identifying law enforcement with an outlaw. These 'cops' are a disgrace to serious police officers everywhere. They show an imbecilic level of irresponsibility and should be fired immediately."
Marvel Comics also addressed the controversy in a recent issue of the current Punisher solo title, which saw Frank Castle chastising a group of police officers for wearing his symbol, telling them he's not someone they should be idolizing.