Saskatoon police not allowed to wear 'Thin Blue Line' patch

Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) officers are not permitted to wear Thin Blue Line patches, according to an SPS report to the Board of Police Commissioners.

Only symbols permitted by Saskatoon Police Policy or the regulations of The Municipal Police Clothing and Rank Regulations, 1991 are authorized to be on officers' uniforms, with exceptions granted for special ceremonies or nationally recognized days, the report says.

"The Thin Blue Line patch is not one of those symbols permitted to be on the uniform."

The report came after a member of the public became concerned after he witnessed some officers wearing a patch that features a blue line through a Canadian flag — modelled after a similar logo used in the U.S.

"This imagery, while originally intended to display solidarity with and among law enforcement has become a partisan symbol of opposition to the Black Lives Matter Movement," Graham MacDonald wrote in a January email to the board.

"By wearing it while on duty, officers are making a political statement, compromising their ability to enforce the law without bias."

At the board's January meeting, SPS Chief Troy Cooper said the patches are not a "purposeful" political statement if any officers were choosing to wear them.

The Thin Blue Line patch has its roots in 19th Century when the British infantry held the "thin red line" against the Russians in the Crimean War, according to the report.

In the 1950s, the blue line was adopted by law enforcement to represent their courage and sacrifice while protecting the American people. It has been in the Canadian policing context since the mid-1990s. The Thin Blue Line flag itself was created and marketed in 2014, the report said.

"Controversy over the meaning of the symbol began in 2015 in the U.K., in response to cutbacks to police budgets. In 2020, after the murder of George Floyd in the US, Black Lives Matter and Defund movements created calls for police reform. Unfortunately, this led to counter

movements such as Blue Lives Matter, which although it may have been created as a response to the murder of police officers in New York, it highlights a sometimes polarizing relationship between the police and the communities we serve," the report said.

"In recent years, extremist groups have co-opted symbols for use in their protests/movements such as the Canadian flag turned upside down, Pride flag, Indigenous flags, Every Child Matters, the Thin Blue Line, and other symbols. The highjacking of these symbols for use other than their intended purpose is offensive to every citizen who knows their true meaning.

"Police officers in Canada who believe the symbol shows support for other officers including those suffering from PTSD would be saddened to learn other groups have misappropriated the Thin Blue Line flag, that it can represent a society that is quite dystopian, and that for some

people, it can be divisive between the police and the communities we serve," the report said.

Other police forces in Canada are also dealing with the use of the patch.

In March, the Calgary Police Commission issued a directive for officers to stop using the patch while on duty, citing the symbol's "contentious history with roots in division, colonialism and racism." But the officers' union told members to flout the directive, resulting in the Calgary Police Service pausing the requirement.

The RCMP also issued a directive against the insignia in 2020, opening a rift with the National Police Federation – the union representing nearly 20,000 Mounties – which said the thin blue line represents the role officers play “providing a barrier between social order and chaos."

Last month the Vancouver police chief volunteered to prepare a report on the thin blue line patches, including their history and "misunderstanding or misappropriation," for a future meeting.

- With CTV News files