[...] The company also creates the NFL commemorative gold-plated whistles for the officiating crew at the Super Bowl each year. Since the league does not have an official whistle, referees must use whistles they buy themselves, said Mike Pereira, league director of officiating.

American Whistle has provided the Super Bowl whistles for nearly a decade. Each whistle has the Super Bowl logo and the referees' initials.

"That, quite frankly, is one of the mementos that most of the guys cherish more than any of the other things," said NFL official Bill Carollo, head referee during the last Super Bowl. "The whistle is not only a piece of our official equipment, it symbolizes control on the field."

The Los Angeles Police Department hands out the company's custom whistles to citizens as part of its community safety program. Officer Tanya Hanamaikai said people cannot get enough of the whistles, which are stamped with the department's badge.

"They love it," Hanamaikai said. "They think it's something totally special and it is. It's not like anything else the LAPD has." [...]