City of Solon Police Department Police Chief Richard Tonelli said the flag had only been flying for a short time, but the decision was made to bring it down due to a “divisive and unhealthy reaction” within the community.
“It is unfortunate that the thin blue line imagery has been associated with extreme and dismissive views that are counter to our values; nonetheless, we are sensitive to the fact that it alienates us from those we are committed to serve and protect,” Tonelli said in a statement.
Tonelli said his officers feel the flag represents support for law enforcement and those who lost their lives in the line of duty. However, he acknowledged that for others, it has become a symbol of opposition to the racial justice movement.
“It was never our intention to heighten tensions,” Tonelli said. “It is important for us to maintain the trust between our officers and citizens.”
The announcement of the flag’s removal was posted on the police department’s Facebook page on Tuesday.
Solon Mayor Edward Kraus also released a statement on Tuesday. Along with voicing support for the police department, he said the public took the flag’s presence on police department property “to mean something that was clearly not intended.” Yet, he also saw the need for the flag to be taken down.
“Frankly, this is a product of our current environment and one that tarnishes even the best intentions,” Kraus said. “In the interests of narrowing the focus of dialogue strictly on supporting our officers, I requested the removal of the current ’thin blue line’ flag in hopes another symbol might be better suited.”
Kraus said Tonelli has a National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial flag that can instead be displayed on the police department’s grounds. Kraus added he hoped the citizens of Solon “will find this flag, whose sole purpose is memorializing those who lost their lives in the duty of service, to speak for supporting our great and honored Police Department.”
The “thin blue line” is said to represent the concept of police as the line that keeps society from descending into violence. The “blue” refers to the color often used for police uniforms. The phrase’s origins is unknown, though Politico wrote last year that the term was first thought to be used by New York City Police Commissioner Richard Enright in 1922.
In the 1950s, a Los Angeles television station produced a moderated show on police affairs titled The Thin Blue Line. It came into even more popular use with the 1988 Errol Morris documentary of the same name that chronicled the murder of a Dallas police officer.
The concept and flag has grown more controversial in recent years. A 2018 law review article claimed the “thin blue line” doubles as a reference to an unwritten code of silence among police officers used to cover up police misconduct. “Thin blue line” flags have also been commonly waved by counter-protesters at Black Lives Matters events.
Due to it being appropriated by some people as a symbol of opposition to the racial justice movement, the flag has been banned by some cities and police departments, not just in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Canada and Iceland.
