Calgary officers no longer allowed to wear thin blue line patches: Police Commission

Posted Mar 30, 2022 4:52 pm.

Last Updated Mar 31, 2022 9:54 am.

Thin blue line patches worn by Calgary police officers must be replaced, in accordance with a decision from the Calgary Police Commission.

The patches have long been a point of contention between Calgary officers and Calgarians. Police recognize the symbol as a way to honour officers who have died in the line of duty, as well as acknowledge the role officers have. However, the thin blue line also has a fraught history with roots in division, colonialism and racism, most recently being prominently displayed at counter-protests against the Black Lives Matter movement.

The thin blue line is based on the “thin red line”, which is a phrase that comes from an 1854 Crimean War battle in which a regiment of Scottish soldiers spread into a thin line to stop an enemy advance. The phrase has since been associated with a colonial military that forcibly took land from Indigenous Peoples and people of colour all over the world.

The Police Commission is directing the Calgary Police Service (CPS) to end its use of the patch while still making sure there is a way for officers to honour one another.

“We know members of the Service support the principles of community policing, being committed to those they serve and nurturing trust,” said Shawn Cornett, Chair of the Calgary Police Commission. “Members have also told us through engagement surveys that they are committed to addressing racial injustice and being respectful and compassionate towards all Calgarians, even those who do not reflect the views of the majority.”

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“People in our community have clearly expressed that the thin blue line patch on police officers makes them uncomfortable due to its history and current use by groups opposing racial equity,” Cornett said. “As policing evolves, so must its symbols. Discontinuing the use of a symbol that is undermining some Calgarians’ trust in the police is the right thing to do.”

The decision comes after a year-long consultation process by CPS which included both of the city’s police associations, Chief Mark Neufeld, CPS’s External Anti-Racism Action Committee and Community Advisory Boards, as well as Beyond the Blue — a non-profit organization that supports local police and their families. During this process, the commission says there was unanimous support for the “positive things” associated with the thin blue line patches, however, concerns were raised about the impact of the symbol’s other, more damaging interpretations in the community.

To create a replacement for the thin blue line patches, the city’s police associations and Beyond the Blue have been invited to work with an independent creative agency which was hired by the Police Commission to design a new symbol for officers to wear instead. According to a statement from the city, the invitation has not been accepted yet but remains open.

“The Commission and public, including many of the racialized Calgarians consulted, support the police and support visually honouring both the fallen and those currently serving,” Cornett said. “Officers in our city have an incredibly difficult job and we owe a debt of gratitude to them. We hope we can collaborate with officers and their families to create a suitable replacement for the thin blue line so that the positive things it represents are not lost.”

The Calgary Police Commission says replacing the thin blue line patches is another step towards fulfilling its promise to be anti-racist and to address systemic racism within the city. It also says the thin blue line patches were never approved for officers to wear, and they started popping up when external body armour was issued with an area to attach patches to.

Officers were allowed to continue wearing the patches while the consultations were ongoing. Now that the decision has come down from the Police Commission, officers have until the end of the month to stop wearing them.

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