The Short, Fraught History of the ‘Thin Blue Line’ American Flag

 

Now, Jacob is the president of Thin Blue Line USA, one of the largest online retailers devoted exclusively to sales of pro-police flags, T-shirts, neckwear and jewelry. Jacob said the flag was not a direct reaction to the first Black Lives Matter protests-an idea suggested by a previous origin story in Harper's-but he allows he may have first seen the thin blue line image after those protests spurred the circulation of pro-police imagery online. White understands how the thin blue line flag has become a part of police culture, and that officers may view it as a sign of solidarity, but he also worries about the message it sends to the public. In the 1950s, "The Thin Blue Line" was the title of a short-lived television show about the Los Angeles Police Department, masterminded by the chief, William H. Parker, who took advantage of Hollywood's proximity to make public relations a key part of his tenure. Criminologists Don L. Kurtz and Alayna Colburn have analyzed the language police officers use in formal interviews, and argue that the "Thin blue line" idea is an example of popular culture informing internal police culture, highlighting "The assumed differences between officers and citizens and further progresses an 'us versus them' mentality among officers." You can buy a dog tag necklace, with Matthew 5:9 engraved on the back: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God." Law enforcement officers can buy a special edition Sig Sauer pistol covered with the flag and blue line. The American flag and blue line have often been blended with the image of a skull associated with the Punisher comic book hero.