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
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.