This seems highly counterfeitable, not to mention a hostile person in plainclothes could pick up a gun marked as friendly from a dead security agent.
This tactic would best be against a force that doesn’t know about it, or an organized force.
This tactic would best be against a force that doesn’t know about it, or an organized force.
Notably, the US Secret Service uses a method of "color of the day" lapel pins and spends millions acquiring them from a specialized manufacturer. The newer models have RFID tags and IR embedded.
Could someone dress up in a suit and pretend to be an agent? Sure. Could he grab one from a dead agent? Possibly. But now you're making the objective harder for an attacker and tilting the odds in your favor.
If a non-cop picks up a tagged gun, that seems like it makes them more easily confused as as a good guy, and thus a lot more dangerous. And if you were already able to reliably distinguish plainclothes-cop from plainclothes, then what does the tagged gun add?
What am I missing here?
Edit to clarify: a matching pin was not sufficient on its own to gain access to the secure area. But being in the secure area without a matching pin would certainly be sufficient to draw some official attention.
IR says "this guy I have in my scope from my perch on this nice rooftop does not appear to be a friendly", as well as via fixed camera or drone.
The IR Signature Control Low Emissivity Tape used by militaries says "oh they're reflecting IR in the correct pattern" by someone using NODs, cameras and scopes that aren't filtering IR, etc so when you see a bunch of people running up on you at night (or even during the day) and for whatever reason they aren't shouting or radioing the equivalent of "it's me, don't shoot!" you don't mow them down with a hail of bullets only to find out you just slaughtered a bunch of friendlies.
Any epsilon of benefit is probably deemed worthwhile.
If an enemy has the same sticker it would slow reaction time and cause confusion, but not prevent coming to the correct decision.