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New York City - The NYPD is warning retired cops they can't display the department shield on T-shirts or Web sites - drawing howls of outrage.

Cease-and-desist letters were sent to nonprofit clubs run by ex-cops, accusing them of trademark infringement for using the badge in their materials.

"What a colossal waste of manpower, going after a bunch of retired cops," said Richard Stone, president of the nonprofit Arizona 10-13 Association.

"And quite a thank you to everyone's time served with the NYPD."

After a letter in May, Stone got a call from the NYPD police impersonation unit saying he was violating city codes and possibly federal trademark laws.

"They should go after real criminals, not a bunch of retired cops," he said.

Some of the targets were particularly infuriated in light of Mayor Bloomberg's new election ads featuring off-duty cops in mock NYPD uniforms next to a fake police car.

"Bloomberg can do that, but we can't hand out a few T-shirts? How is that fair," one retiree asked.

The letters prompted James Ferguson, president of the National NYCPD 10-13 Organizations, to ask for a sitdown with Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly.

"We'd like to know what triggered this," said Ferguson, whose nonprofit lobbies Albany on behalf of 40,000 NYPD retirees.

Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said form letters are automatically sent whenever anyone notifies the NYPD about commercial use of the logo.

A fund-raiser in Florida by a retiree's nonprofit triggered the latest round of letters.