• Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
Law Officer
Law Officer
No Result
View All Result

The Thin Blue Line

This Is The Hill To Die On

Thin Blue Line flag

(Shutterstock)

January 20, 2023
Travis YatesbyTravis Yates
Share and speak up for justice, law & order...

Law enforcement has suffered another case of a police chief forsaking officers, giving in to public opinion (aka “outrage”), and failing to lead courageously. It could have been a moment to educate the public and correct misperceptions. However, the chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) banned the display of the “Thin Blue Line” flag—and failed the department while failing to educate the public. LAPD Chief Michel Moore’s decision shows just how horrific law enforcement leadership has become and how far we have to go to make things right.

Sure, we could easily dismiss Chief Moore’s decision or the entire debate. Some might say, “it’s no big deal, it’s just a flag.” But that’s exactly why it’s a big deal. An alarming number of police “leaders” have been routinely ignoring things that are most important to officers to simply appease the opinions of a few. Moore’s decision has made headlines recently, however, the lack of leadership concerning the “Thin Blue Line” flag is hardly anything new. In fact, I started documenting cowardly decisions about the flag several years ago to highlight examples of leadership failures in my seminars. Since then, I’ve amassed so many stories from officers across the country that I could easily hold a week-long seminar on just this topic alone. From a chief apologizing because he had a Thin Blue Line flag in his home, to an agency taking down a flag display donated by a child, unfortunately there are far too many examples that indicate a growing number of leadership failures concerning just this topic alone.

SUBSCRIBE HERE TO GET WEEKLY COURAGEOUS LEADERSHIP ARTICLES

In this case, the complaint from the “the community” claimed that the Blue Line Flag “symbolized support for violent extremist views, such as those represented by the Proud Boys and others.” Obviously, this is just an interpretation—not a factual complaint. Nonetheless, Chief Moore ordered the flags to be removed. In so doing, he seems to have misjudged the difference between a fact-based complaint and a misinformed interpretation. Just to be clear, whenever an interpretation becomes a reason for action, leadership is about to fail. Making matters worse, Moore seems to have conveniently ignored how the flag may be interpreted one way by a few—yet represent something completely different to law enforcement officers and others under his command. If Moore and other police chiefs had any courage, they would have educated the public about this significant and important difference.

When Cowards Respond to Insanity (Not Reality)

Appeasing public opinion at any given moment can pose unintended consequences. Like many repeated failures in the past, Moore’s decision doesn’t make any sense (beyond temporary political appeasement). Far too many “leaders” have mistakenly believed that it’s logical and somehow reasonable to act based upon a complaint (or in this case, an interpretation). Whatever the reason, Moore’s decision is obviously short-sighted: even just one small appeasement can set expectations and invite future demands based on opinion without the need for facts. Once cowardly appeasement begins, it rarely stops—that is, until a truly courageous leader steps in to put a stop to it.

When An Opinion Is Mistaken for a Justified Complaint

There’s also another aspect concerning the Thin Blue Line flag that cowardly leaders tend to overlook. Just because someone in “the community” offers an interpretation about what the Thin Blue Line Flag means, doesn’t mean it holds the same meaning for everybody else. It also doesn’t mean that any given interpretation—or complaint—resembles actual historical facts or truth. As a symbol and a phrase, the “thin blue line” has been in existence for over 100 years. Ironically, it was adopted by the LAPD in the 1950’s to symbolize how officers served as “the barrier between law, order, and anarchy.” The term has been used in movies, documentaries, and widely accepted as a symbol to honor fallen police officers. This is perhaps the greatest failure of cowardly police leaders: any opinion or claim of being “offended” should never automatically overwrite or take away from what the Thin Blue Line means to officers, their families, and to countless Americans—especially for those who have made and suffered the ultimate sacrifice.

When Complaints Become Affirmations from Cowardly Leaders

Whenever cowardly leaders turn their backs on the significance of the Thin Blue Line in this regard, they are making fools of themselves in more ways than one. They’re fooling themselves if they believe they still have the (moral) respect of officers under their command despite the symbolic slap in the face. They’re also fooling themselves if they believe they’ve somehow won respect from the community. As I’ve noticed from looking at these situations over the years, the opposite often occurs. Far too many cowardly leaders mistakenly believe that appeasing the community improves their popularity or reduces situational pressure. Instead, appeasement tends to simply validate whatever wild criticism those who complain or claim to be “offended” have to offer. Banning the flag based on a complaint and claim that someone was “offended” only validates the idea that the Thin Blue Line flag actually is “offensive.” Needless to say, cowardly leaders have done nothing but promote misrepresentations about the flag and misunderstandings between cops and the communities they serve, which is something that can never be encouraged or condoned.

Craig Floyd (the founder of Citizens Behind the Badge Founder and former Chairman of the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund) said it best:

“We should not let anyone steal these flags from law enforcement and should never let the media make them out to be anything other than what they are. We must stand together and protect the thin blue line.”

I couldn’t agree more.

https://www.lawofficer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/the-thin-blue-line_soundbite.mp4

To be clear, the “thin blue line” is the hill for leaders to die on. It represents who we are, what we stand for and honors the sacrifices made by 26,141 heroes behind the badge.

If any leader thinks otherwise, they have no business leading anyone.


This article originally appeared at The Courageous Leadership SubStack. You can subscribe here to get weekly articles and here to get the podcast dedicated to Courageous Leadership.


Share and speak up for justice, law & order...
Tags: courageous leadershipLeadershipthin blue linetravis yates
Travis Yates

Travis Yates

Travis Yates has three decades of law enforcement experience and currently holds the rank of Major. One of the most prolific trainers and writers in the profession, he has trained and consulted with thousands of law enforcement professionals across the globe and has authored hundreds of articles for various publications. He is a past recipient of the ILEETA Police Trainer of the Year and the director of training with Law Officer (www.lawofficeracademy.com) and SAFETAC (www.safetac.org). Travis is a leading expert in leadership and risk management and is building a movement to bring Courageous Leadership back to law enforcement (www.stopcowards.com). Travis is a graduate of the 227th Session of the FBI National Academy and is a doctoral student in Strategic Leadership. He is the author of the best selling book, “The Courageous Police Leader: A Survival Guide for Combating Cowards, Chaos & Lies“

Related Posts

Leadership In The Aftermath of Memphis

January 29, 2023

The Mudslide of Expectations

January 25, 2023
Grady Judd

Sheriff vs. Chief

January 22, 2023

Police Leadership Has Betrayed and Abandoned

January 22, 2023
fallen officer

It’s Time To Apologize for the Apologies

January 21, 2023
Virgil Green

Minnesota police chief apologizes for law enforcement appreciation post

January 19, 2023
Load More

Latest Articles

Alireza Heidari

Iranian illegal immigrant on terror watch list captured by Texas DPS near southern border

February 1, 2023
Gonzalo Carrasco

California police officer shot and killed while checking on ‘suspicious person’

February 1, 2023
Marine recruiters

Marine recruiters try to get members booted over vax mandate to rejoin

February 1, 2023
Sharaban K

Woman accused of murdering lookalike to fake own death, prosecutors say

February 1, 2023
Madison Russo

TikToker charged with conning people out of $37K with GoFundMe cancer scam

January 31, 2023
Israel Martinez Lopez

Illegal immigrant charged in third fatal Wisconsin crash in past two months

January 31, 2023
Load More

Weekly E-Newsletter

Subscribe—and get the latest news and editorials direct from Law Officer each week!

[newsletter_form type="minimal"]

JOIN THE FIGHT

BE COURAGEOUS

FIND MORE…

Law Officer

© 2021 LawOfficer.com

LawOfficer.com

  • Home
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Corrections
  • Contact

Speak up for justice, law & order

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Authors
  • Articles
    • Archives
    • Chaplain
    • Crime & Controversy
    • Community
    • Cop Humor
    • Editorial
    • Op-ed
    • Gear & Technology
    • Investigations
    • Laws & Legal
    • Leadership
    • News
    • Officer Down
    • On Duty
    • Tactics
  • Network
    • Illinois Network
    • Minneapolis Network
    • Tulsa Network
    • Wauwatosa Network
    • Learn more
  • Training
  • Officer Privacy
  • Jobs
  • Contact

© 2021 LawOfficer.com