For a few of my friends...

[98Z5V]

Greg, Rob, Eric, and Stain - where ever you are, brother.  You are missed.

What the Thin Blue Line Really Means to Those Who Serve

by Matt Hill 5 days ago

 

https://sofrep.com/news/what-the-thin-blue-line-really-means-to-those-who-serve/?utm_campaign=What the Thin Blue Line Really Means to Those Who Serve (RniWKd)&utm_medium=email&utm_source=SOFREP - Highly Engaged&_ke=eyJrbF9jb21wYW55X2lkIjogIkhWUzNDYSIsICJrbF9lbWFpbCI6ICJyZ3JoYXJ0bGV5QGhvdG1haWwuY29tIn0%3D

 

 

“The Thin Blue Line.”

You see it everywhere these days. From minivans bumpers to a flag flying in a front yard, to shirts, hats, license plates, and even tattoos. There are people that use the Thin Blue Line as a backdrop to the mantra “Blue Lives Matter.” And recently, you may have even seen members of some alleged hate groups fly the flag as an “anti-Black Lives Matter” symbol. But what does the Thin Blue Line actually signify? Why is it so meaningful to a section of society? And, since an alleged racist organization used it in a rally should it now be deemed a racist symbol and banned from society?

As a police officer for the better part of the last decade, I stood as a small part of that Thin Blue Line (TBL). In some of my assignments, I was the sole Thin Blue Line present when incidents occurred. Once, I was seriously injured while performing my duties as a part of that line. At times, I felt the sheer weight of the symbology on my back and in others, I felt a true brotherhood. 

But, what led to this simple black space with a blue line in the center being a “thing” anyway? Let’s take a quick peek into the origins of the TBL. 

According to the Marshall Project, a nonprofit publication about Criminal Justice, the origins of the term “Thin Blue Line” are seen as far back as 1854 and it referred partially to a British battle formation. However, the term first became mainstream among police officers in New York City in 1922.

In the 1950s, there was a television show with the phrase as its title. The term was consistently used by politicians in speeches; it was used in the press, and in multiple novels of that era. Since then, the term has been used the world over by officers or people who wish to show them support. In 2016, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump was quoted as saying that police are, “The force between civilization and total chaos.” Hence, the Thin Blue Line.

Dallas Police Sergeant Stephen Bishopp holds a doctoral degree and has studied police stress, use of force, and officer misconduct. He asserts that the term symbolizes respect and understanding for families who have lost an officer in the line of duty. Bishopp said, “When I see that flag as a sticker on a car or flying in someone’s yard, I know that there is someone there that knows what I’m going through.”

But what does the symbol mean to an officer, a man or woman who is part of the line? Does it truly create an “us vs. them” mentality as I’ve heard some attempt to articulate or does it mean something different altogether?

In this article, I will describe what the Thin Blue Line means to me and what it means to some of my personal law enforcement friends whom I spoke to during this article’s writing.

In the movie End of Watch, there is a powerful quote that for me succinctly describes the Thin Blue Line.

“I’m the police, and I’m here to arrest you. You’ve broken the law. I did not write the law. I may even disagree with the law but I will enforce it and no matter how you plead, cajole, beg, or attempt to stir my sympathies, nothing you do will stop me from placing you in a steel cage with gray bars. If you run away, I will chase you. If you fight me, I will fight back. If you shoot at me, I will shoot back. By law I am unable to walk away. I am a consequence. I am the unpaid bill. I am fate with a badge and a gun. Behind my badge is a heart like yours. I bleed, I think, I love, and yes, I can be killed. And although I am but one man, I have thousands of brothers and sisters who are the same as me. They will lay down their lives for me, and I them. We stand watch together, a thin blue line, protecting the prey from the predators, the good from the bad. We are the police.”

YT doesn't allow embedding of this vid, but it's worth clicking.  Fucking YT idiots. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd-ZPo-SjcY&feature=emb_err_woyt

I spoke to a number of my friends who are still holding the Thin Blue Line. Here are some things they said about what they see in the Thin Blue Line.

“The Thin Blue Line sees no race. All it sees is a common bond between brothers and sisters to protect the good from the evil.”

Another said, “There are sheep in the world and there are wolves. The thin blue line stands in the middle as a sheepdog to protect the sheep from the wolves.”

Yet another stated, “The thin blue line is a banner/flag of ideals this country was built upon. It represents the lives of those charged with domestically protecting American citizens at any cost.”

And one just referred straight back to the opening monologue in the End of Watch which you just read above.

Believe it or not, most peoples’ first comment, when they hear you are a police officer, is, “Well it must be nice to be able to get out of any ticket.” First off, that is simply not true. It certainly holds some merit, but I also know plenty of officers who were given silly tickets that I wouldn’t have written to anyone, cop or not. That said, my response is almost always, “Cops need some kind of perk to deal with the crap we handle every day. The only perk we really get is not getting tickets. It isn’t that big — or that great — of a deal.” 

Many people don’t know the real reason why some police officers allow other officers “professional courtesy” and don’t issue them tickets. The real reason is that it can — and has — started a ridiculous back-and-forth between departments which can occasionally cause huge rifts between officers and even entire departments. Because of that, many officers will simply offer professional courtesy to an officer of another jurisdiction. I know, I know. Some of you might think that this is petty and pathetic and shouldn’t be a justification. I may agree, but it’s the truth. To be honest, professional courtesy is often also extended to firefighters, paramedics, nurses, and especially doctors. After all, one of them may be taking care of you if you happen to be on the hot side of a bullet.

In the Thin Blue Line I see solidarity. Not in the mentality of police versus community, but in the sense that when I meet another member of that same line we have a sort of unspoken bond and know that we’ve likely gone through the same training and have very similar experiences.

This, I think, is very similar to those who were in a specialized military unit such as the Army Rangers, Army Green Berets, Navy SEALs, or Marine Raiders. As a member of any of those units, you automatically have a pretty good sense that the person who earned the same title as you has specific capabilities. You know that they will likely be there to stand by your side if, and when, needed.

I spoke to John Black, retired Army Special Forces Green Beret and SOFREP staff writer who said the following about this unique bond:

“I feel that immediate bond or brotherhood upon meeting someone such as another Green Beret, Navy SEAL, etc. Although we have never trained together, fought together, or even met, the sense of brotherly bond is there immediately. Moreover, you can usually spot these people in a crowd of total strangers by the vibe they put off.”

That is exactly how I look at the Thin Blue Line. It’s an unspoken brotherhood shared by those with common experiences. I agree with John Black, too, in that usually, you can pretty easily spot a cop in a crowd if you know what to look for. 

This bond could be vaguely akin to fraternity brothers (or sorority sisters), or people in any military branch, certain work unions, or even people with an insanely dangerous job like skyscraper window cleaners. There is a certain bond that forms with unique, often crappy, experiences (like boot camp, the Police Academy, or SF selection). If you’ve never felt that bond in life, you’re truly missing out.

An outsider simply doesn’t understand what those common training pipelines and experiences are, or how they feel — which is much more important. Let me give you just a few examples of crappy experiences from the police world that serve to help us form bonds.

First, if you haven’t done it, staying up for a 12-hour night shift on a cold, rainy December night sucks. As in, it is totally awful. And that’s if you don’t get a ton of calls. If you’ve never responded to a house where a loved one found a family member deceased you wouldn’t quite understand the feeling. If you’ve never given CPR to a husband while his wife screams “SAVE HIM” in your ear you may not get it. If you’ve never driven that same wife to the hospital and stood with her when they pronounced her husband dead, it may be foreign to you. If you’ve never worked a double 12-hour shift because 20 minutes before your shift ended someone decided to kill, rape, or otherwise maim someone else, then you don’t quite know the feeling. If you’ve never tried to arrest someone high on PCP who wanted to fight the passing cars, it’s a mystery to you. Or, if you’ve never had a complaint made on you because you “weren’t friendly to the caller during their call for service for a dead raccoon in the street” even though you had just finished giving CPR to a man who just minutes before had been playing tennis but is now dead and you just aren’t really in the mood to field a stupid call. I’m not saying it is bad that you don’t know how these experiences feel and I’m certainly not saying I’m better or cooler because I do know. I’m just saying you don’t know. And you don’t understand that which you don’t know.

However, if you’re a part of the Thin Blue Line I know you already get it. I know you get it just by seeing that line on your shirt or your car. And if you just have it displayed as a show of support, then at least you want to understand it and you appreciate those who do. It doesn’t matter whether you work for NYPD or for a small sheriff’s department in rural Kentucky: you get it. If you have stood as a part of that line for any amount of time, you have all of those experiences I listed and thousands more. 

I also think of those who were lost when that Thin Blue Line was cracked for a time. As an officer, I’ve both responded to “Officer in Need of Aid” calls where the officer was shot, stabbed, or was getting beaten by someone whom they could not control. I’ve also had close friends shot in the line of duty and was an officer when a handful of officers near where I worked were killed in the line of duty. The Thin Blue Line also pays homage to those guys and gals. Those whom we call heroes, but who wouldn’t consider themselves any such thing, if they were still able. The TBL stands in solidarity with the fallen and their families as members of our family, though they were perhaps an otherwise unknown stranger only days prior. 

The casket bearing the body of SAPD Det. Benjamin Marconi draped in a Thin Blue Line flag for funeral services. Nov. 28, 2016. Marconi was shot dead in his patrol car outside police headquarters on Nov. 20 of that year. (Marvin Pfeiffer, San Antonio Express-News)

Sometimes, people outside of law enforcement fly a TBL flag showing their support for officers. I think this is great and it really does mean a lot to an officer when he/she drives past a house and sees a sign or a flag with a Thin Blue Line. It is a small token of appreciation that just may help that officer push through another hard shift, or through one more heartbreaking call. Officers love knowing that there are still people out there who support them. So yes, fly the flag with pride. It’s certainly appreciated.

Now, there have been of late been those who have misrepresented the Thin Blue Line or used it for their own forms of hate speech. It’s disgusting. It’s unacceptable to the members of the TBL and I for one reject their ideology. They’ve used the symbol as a symbol of hatred and people have seen the negative press. So, should we just rid the nation of the TBL because one group of people used it inappropriately? In a word: negative.

Symbols are used and misused daily. We know of common symbols associated with hate such as swastikas. But nowadays society seems to be jumping on every “hate” bandwagon it can find and is labeling stuff hate speech quicker than some people can even stop using the terms or symbols they deem “wrong.”

The term hate speech is also very subjective. For example, some people see the Christian symbol of a cross as a way to eternal life, but others see it as pure fiction at best or as hypocritical or hateful at worst. The Confederate flag has been thoroughly demonized in recent times and even statues of some of America’s founding fathers have been torn down or burned because they “represent slave ownership.” Recently, conservatives who have the belief, or even the concern, that the 2020 election contained fraud have been labeled domestic terrorists by some in our own government. The OK hand gesture is now condemned and deemed a gesture of the “alt-right” or of “white power” because some moron in a hate group decided to one day use that symbol.

Shoot, think of how many fake “Navy SEALs” disparage the honor of those men and their Trident. Over the last four years, a “MAGA” hat or a Trump flag would get your house or car vandalized, and wearing one puts you at greater risk of being assaulted or called a racist. Ironically, as I was writing this article, a friend of mine sent me a picture of someone vandalizing his Trump flag hanging on his home in Florida. My friend is certainly no racist, nor is he a straight white male; but he was vilified because of one symbol. Not by his actions or even his looks, but by a symbol hanging on his home.

Back The Blue hold a protest at Hingham Town Hall and Police Dept. on July 28, 2020, in Hingham, MA. (Staff Photo By Stuart Cahill/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)

My point is that any sign or symbol can be misused or misrepresented by anyone. I’m not giving my opinion about anything I have just listed above. But what I am saying is that one group of people that is criminal, hateful, or racist should not be able to change the true meaning of a symbol, word, or gesture, especially if they aren’t the symbol’s main user. That isn’t logical and it isn’t fair. And it is absolutely stupid.

The “cancel culture” we are seeing now isn’t sustainable. Not for a city and certainly not for a nation. We have to stop allowing people who are on the fringe — of anything — to control the narrative for a symbol, logo, word, or gesture. One city near where I live has just deemed the Thin Blue Line flag “hateful” because someone in Charlottesville, Virginia used the flag at one of the rallies held there four years ago. It was decreed that officers are not allowed to show the TBL flag anywhere in the city. Really? At this rate, one could vilify any symbol they do not like simply by brandishing that symbol/logo/word/gesture in public while engaging in criminal behavior.

People, we have to get some common sense. To understand what a sign, symbol, or gesture really means we need to ask those who are actually its main users. And then if their answer is logical, we need to accept it as the truth.

The Thin Blue Line represents family. It represents safety. It represents solidarity. It represents a local and even global mission. It represents those who have gone to work and never returned home. It represents the spouse and children of a fallen officer. It represents support. It represents law and order. 

Someone who stands in the Thin Blue Line stands in that gap for your family’s safety. They do not care about your skin color, religion, gender, or sexual preference. They are what protects the sheep from the wolves. The violent from the peaceful. The good from the evil.

If you are so inclined, thank an officer. Fly a Thin Blue Line flag as a show of support. Thank an officer for what they do even if they have written you a ticket or been a bit less than friendly during your encounter. Ask them how they’re doing. Volunteer at a local department or do a ride-along. It’ll help you better understand just a touch of how it really feels to be a part of the gap between good and evil; to be part of the Thin Blue Line.

Then make your judgment.

 

 

[98Z5V]

I bow to you, my brothers.  I did some military time, but there's no way I could put up with the shiit that you have to deal with, daily, if I was a cop.  I wouldn't be able to take it, and would have been Grand Jury'd in a heartbeat.  Same fight, but with different people, and different mentalities behind you, backing you.  Same Rules of Engagement - but DIFFERENT Rules of Engagement... 

I honestly don't know how you guys do it, in the times we live in.  I just don't.  My hat is off to you all. 

@StainTrain  

Edited February 18, 2021 by 98Z5V

[unforgiven]

Great write up brother, what makes it worse is politicians using law enforcement as political pawns. Portland for example. Tying their hands to do a job they swore to do and are not allowed to do it. Even as a young wanker it was always yes sir,no sir. Back when drivers licenses were paper and tickets were stapled to it, all they had to do was look at all the holes in the corner. My license was raggitty. Hats off God bless you all hope you get to see and enjoy a healthy retirement. 🍺🍺🇺🇸

Media has poisoned the people against the Police just to sell news. In the neck with media fuk um all.

[Magwa]

That was a great read , and I agree 100% and I pay homage to the men and women in Blue just as i do all the warriors from our US services... and I always have a TBL pin on my hat ...

[ARTrooper]

Fvck Tom I love you, but I don’t have the attention span to read something 1/10 that length. Does it come in audio book? 🤣

 

Thank you guys for the support. I can’t imagine doing anything else for a career... that being said, if I had the money to retire today, I would. 

[Sisco]

The Thin Blue line gets it in the neck from both sides. Ask the minority people on Minneapolis' North Side if they want fewer police, they will tell you "no we want more!" Yet politicians are looking to cut their budgets and reduce their numbers. Where I live we have a great Sheriffs department and my God I am glad we do. Thanks guys for all you do.

[Robocop1051]

💙
 

[Rsquared]

Out-Fucking-Standing Tom.

Spot fuking on.

And yes. A glass held high to our LEO brothers here. Current and retired (couldn't leave Lurch out)

[Cunuckgaucho]

A good friend of mine is a RCMP officer so I get to hear stories that never make the news. I'm so glad I don't have to deal with society as a whole.

[98Z5V]

1 hour ago, Rsquared said:

Out-Fucking-Standing Tom.

Spot fuking on.

And yes. A glass held high to our LEO brothers here. Current and retired (couldn't leave Lurch out)

I didn't forget about Larry - he lived through it and made it out the other side, in one piece still.   He was at the top of my mind, making this post, but I wanted to make sure I got the word out to the ones that are in the fight, right now, suffering through this bullshiit that has become "disrespect LEOs".  

I'm pretty positive that if somebody ever disrespected Larry, during an encounter - they'da been BOPPED RIGHT ON TOP OF THE HEAD, and sleeping on concrete immediately...  

[98Z5V]

I sat on this story for 2 days, deciding when and how to launch it.  It came through my SOFREP notifications several days ago.  This pic, last night, had me realizing that I just needed to post it up, and let it ride. 

 

[Sharpshooter]

My then-wife and I moved from Illinois to Texas in 1970. We stopped at a roadside diner somewhere in east Texas for a break. We were sitting at a booth when some guy walked in and the place broke into cheers and applause. Turns out, the guy had been driving down the road when he saw a Texas State Trooper, who had apparently pulled over a car, shot. The car driver got out of his car and shot the trooper again. Our hero stopped his pickup, pulled out his rifle, and dropped the guy who had shot the trooper. I looked around and said "Honey, I think I'm home."

So, yeah, it's not just a meme.

[ARTrooper]

2 hours ago, Sharpshooter said:

My then-wife and I moved from Illinois to Texas in 1970. We stopped at a roadside diner somewhere in east Texas for a break. We were sitting at a booth when some guy walked in and the place broke into cheers and applause. Turns out, the guy had been driving down the road when he saw a Texas State Trooper, who had apparently pulled over a car, shot. The car driver got out of his car and shot the trooper again. Our hero stopped his pickup, pulled out his rifle, and dropped the guy who had shot the trooper. I looked around and said "Honey, I think I'm home."

So, yeah, it's not just a meme.

This is why I encourage people to conceal carry if they can do it legally. I love seeing legally carried guns when I am working. 

[Cliff R]

+2

All of my friends carry and not single one of them would ever shoot anyone who doesn't need to be shot.

Good read above.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by Cliff R

[98Z5V]

7 hours ago, ARTrooper said:

This is why I encourage people to conceal carry if they can do it legally. I love seeing legally carried guns when I am working. 

This is also why I encourage everybody I know to carry - conceal it or not, I don't care - but also have a rifle in your vehicle, that you can get to.  Your pistol is only a means that you have on your body to defend yourself - so you can get to your PRIMARY means of defense - and that's a rifle.  Pack a rifle, carry a rifle IN your rig.  Always be near a rifle, or only far enough away - that you have enough pistol ammo to get back to it, when the shiit hits.

[Cliff R]

You mean like this?

 

 

[jtallen83]

9 hours ago, 98Z5V said:

Pack a rifle, carry a rifle IN your rig.

Yep, many will say you shouldn't leave a weapon unattended in a vehicle, I call bull, no way is it safer to be without just because somebody MIGHT steal or break into your vehicle. 

This topic tied right back to LEO's and all they do. In about 2014 I got pulled over speeding on the way home in NE Missouri. As the Trooper was looking at my documents he was asking the standard questions, came to do you have any weapons in the car? I had my AR-10, a PM400(AR Pistol), and a 226. Next question was barrel length on the PM400 ? I'm thinking crap am I doing something wrong in Missouri, I answer and he asks if he can see it, he's been thinking about ordering one but was wanting to handle it first. So there we are, bags and gun cases stacked behind my car on the shoulder of the interstate while he adjusts the sling and throws it to his shoulder a few times. He helped me pack the car back up and thanked me, I thanked him for the verbal warning and promised I would do a better job watching my speed, from then on when running the avenue of the saints in northern Missouri I never set the cruse more than 8 over. 

[beantown]

I'm now a truck driver. We get DOT inspections all the time. Which I have no issues with as they are just doing their job as I am mine. I always hand the Trooper my Drivers License and Permit to carry first and foremost. I get the same question all the time. "Do you have it with you?" "Yes Sir it's in my EDC bag." They always come back with the same thing. "Good for you, cause it won't do you any good leaving it at home.". I honestly think truck drivers would be some of the first people to help a LEO in need, I know I would.

[unforgiven]

3 hours ago, beantown said:

I'm now a truck driver. We get DOT inspections all the time. Which I have no issues with as they are just doing their job as I am mine. I always hand the Trooper my Drivers License and Permit to carry first and foremost. I get the same question all the time. "Do you have it with you?" "Yes Sir it's in my EDC bag." They always come back with the same thing. "Good for you, cause it won't do you any good leaving it at home.". I honestly think truck drivers would be some of the first people to help a LEO in need, I know I would.

Another tough job, rolling we fuktards doing everything behind the wheel but driving. Good luck brother🍺🍺

[ARTrooper]

4 hours ago, beantown said:

I'm now a truck driver. We get DOT inspections all the time. Which I have no issues with as they are just doing their job as I am mine. I always hand the Trooper my Drivers License and Permit to carry first and foremost. I get the same question all the time. "Do you have it with you?" "Yes Sir it's in my EDC bag." They always come back with the same thing. "Good for you, cause it won't do you any good leaving it at home.". I honestly think truck drivers would be some of the first people to help a LEO in need, I know I would.

Good to hear this most drivers aren’t sure about their rights to carry and don’t think they can working commercial. The reality is that it is usually the company that don’t want them to carry.

7 hours ago, jtallen83 said:

Yep, many will say you shouldn't leave a weapon unattended in a vehicle, I call bull, no way is it safer to be without just because somebody MIGHT steal or break into your vehicle. 

This topic tied right back to LEO's and all they do. In about 2014 I got pulled over speeding on the way home in NE Missouri. As the Trooper was looking at my documents he was asking the standard questions, came to do you have any weapons in the car? I had my AR-10, a PM400(AR Pistol), and a 226. Next question was barrel length on the PM400 ? I'm thinking crap am I doing something wrong in Missouri, I answer and he asks if he can see it, he's been thinking about ordering one but was wanting to handle it first. So there we are, bags and gun cases stacked behind my car on the shoulder of the interstate while he adjusts the sling and throws it to his shoulder a few times. He helped me pack the car back up and thanked me, I thanked him for the verbal warning and promised I would do a better job watching my speed, from then on when running the avenue of the saints in northern Missouri I never set the cruse more than 8 over. 

yeah I love to weapon shop and check out people’s guns on the side of the road. Haha. 
 

21 hours ago, Cliff R said:

+2

All of my friends carry and not single one of them would ever shoot anyone who doesn't need to be shot.

Good read above.

 

 

 

 

nice hellcat, my favorite little pistol that I carry every day.

[Cliff R]

Tks, I'm pretty fond of mine too......

I carry it every day as well, even at work (CSI)......

Edited February 21, 2021 by Cliff R

[Sharpshooter]

I used to be a truck driver. I had a load of custom boats to deliver in Brooklyn, NY. I got there too late to deliver and decided to just park in their driveway and wait until the morning. A NYCPD officer came up, asked what I was doing. I told him. He said, "Well, if you insist on sleeping here, take that pistol I know you have and keep it under your pillow. At least, that way, you can kid yourself that you'll be alive in the morning." I'd already worn the badge for several years previously, and I thought I could tell BS from RS (real sh*t). End of story? I got up and drove back into New Jersey for the night. And, yes, I did have a "pistol" in the truck. My .45 ACP Colt Combat Commander. Not that it would have done me any good if I got my stupid throat cut in my sleep.

[392heminut]

@98Z5VTom, thanks for posting this. I saw it when you first posted it but waited until I had time to sit and read all the way through with no interruptions (hard to do right now). It describes exactly how I felt about the job, better than I could do on my own. I miss it terribly but Mayra doesn't want me doing it anymore and I have to respect that. I keep close ties with local law enforcement to try and stay in the loop but it's not the same. I have to say, even with all the B.S. hating on LEOs I still feel honored to have gotten to do what I did and can say that I never tarnished 'the badge'. I always respected what that badge stood for and always will.

[392heminut]

On 2/18/2021 at 8:00 AM, ARTrooper said:

 

 

Thank you guys for the support. I can’t imagine doing anything else for a career... that being said, if I had the money to retire today, I would. 

I hear you brother. Just know that you will miss it when you do!

[392heminut]

On 2/18/2021 at 9:00 PM, 98Z5V said:

I sat on this story for 2 days, deciding when and how to launch it.  It came through my SOFREP notifications several days ago.  This pic, last night, had me realizing that I just needed to post it up, and let it ride. 

 

I posted that meme on my Facebook page a while back. You can't imagine the schit comments I got from some people, not friends or acquaintances, people who I didn't know and they didn't know me. You gotta love the 'delete' option on other peoples' posts and the ability to bar them from even reading your posts. Probably the best features on Facebook!