Calgary Police Union Tells Members to Remove ‘Thin Blue Line’ Patches

An honour guard marches at the funeral service for Calgary Police Service Sgt. Andrew Harnett in Calgary, Alberta, on Jan. 9, 2021. Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

The Calgary Police Association asked its members on Wednesday to comply with an order from the city’s police commission to remove the “Thin Blue Line” (TBL) patches from their uniforms after previously telling them to resist it a few weeks ago.

“We reluctantly recommend you remove the TBL patches and comply with [the commission’s] order,” wrote Calgary Police Association (CPA) president John Orr in an email, reported CBC News.

“While we know that removing the patch is a tough pill to swallow, we believe that you have achieved several ‘wins,’” Orr said, in reference to negotiations with the Calgary Police Service and the Calgary Police Commission.

Some of these wins include the right to wear the symbol—a Canadian flag on a black and grey background with a thin blue line through it—on dress uniforms.

“We would be the first major police service in the country to do so and, in turn, would lead the way for all police services across the country to follow suit,” wrote Orr.

Another “win” is the prospective adoption of rules to prevent police commission members from slandering CPA members or the policing profession.

After the Calgary Police Commission had ordered the patch be removed on March 30, the CPA doubled down by saying it would purchase enough patches for all its uniformed members and lapel pins for officers working in plain clothes.

“We were very disappointed with the decision to ban the wearing of the thin blue line patch. It’s a symbol of great importance to our members and it speaks to a number of important issues, including remembrance for our fallen, a show of support to one another and a very difficult job, which has long- and short-term health implications for our members,” Orr told CBC at the time.

The commission has argued that the Thin Blue Line has been associated to “white national or racist views” with the symbol being seen at protests against the Black Lives Matter movement.

The movement, which says that blacks are disproportionately targeted by law enforcement, has pushed for defunding the police and increased hostility toward police officers. The United States saw a large increase in attacks against officers last year.

According to the Thin Blue Line Canada’s website, the symbol originated in the United Kingdom but is now prevalent in the United States and Canada to commemorate fallen officers and show support for law enforcement in general.

The issue has been controversial across Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver. While officers from these cities are still not prohibited from wearing the symbol, a recent report by the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) to the Board of Police Commissioners states that SPS officers should not wear it.

Officers from the federal police force RCMP are not allowed to wear the symbol.