It's about the same size as the original but a new design has transformed a difficult-to-discern image of Colton City Hall into a sharper, crisper picture of one of the city's premier landmarks.

To top it off, the new uniform patch recently adopted by the Colton Police Department prominently features an image of the Carnegie Public Library, which the city already uses as its logo.

The Colton officer who designed the new patch said his design is far more recognizable than the previous one.

"The old patch -- it's not very distinctive unless you really know what it is," Officer Robert Drey said. "It's not very detailed."

So, about six or eight months ago, Drey decided to give the old patch a facelift. After several design changes and reviews by officers, the new patch was approved by Capt. Randy Heusterberg, Colton's acting police chief.

Colton police officials say the new patch will be phased in over the next six or eight months as uniforms shirts are cleaned or replaced. The city has already included the new patches on officers' uniform jackets.

A Los Angeles County firm manufactured about 1,000 of the embroidered patches, which arrived last December.

The patch being replaced had been in use for roughly eight years, Lt. Bob Miller said. Shieldlike in shape, it displayed a mostly featureless frontal view of the Colton Civic Center on La Cadena Drive, which houses City Hall and the police station. The plain-looking image of the building is composed of beige and light brown square-shaped embroidery work.

The new patch retains the shape of the old one but is highlighted by a gray-colored image of the neoclassical revival-style library, also on La Cadena Drive. Twin columns and a temple-style facade are visible. Palm fronds and a bright orange background surround the building, and the words "Incorporated 1887" appear beneath it.

"You can definitely see the difference," Miller said.

The image of the 4,000-square-foot Carnegie Library building is featured on letterhead, memos and other city documents. The building was erected in 1908, mostly through the financial assistance of industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.

With construction of a new facility in 1983, city officials stopped using the Carnegie building as a library. Since 1991, the building has served as a center of activity for the Colton Museum Associates and other groups. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988 and the city declared it a landmark in 1991. The building currently serves as a museum.

Drey, who has been a Colton officer for the past 19 years, said he intended the new, more vivid design to serve as a morale booster for the Police Department and as a marketing tool.

The patch has gradually proved itself a hit with many of the officers.

"As soon as I saw it, it caught my eye," Officer John Villescas said. "It's a lot better than the original."

Roberto Hernandez can be reached by e-mail at rhernandez@pe.com or by phone at (909) 890-4447.