November 12, 2019, 5:33 pm
- National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund To All Those of Concern,
An issued was raised publicly over the “thin blue line” American flag sticker that had been placed on one of the cruisers in October of 2018. It was my belief that just going with a simple answer: “take it off”, or “keep it on” would not have served a greater purpose.
My personal connection with the original “thin blue line” symbolism comes from having attended the funerals of my law enforcement brothers and sisters killed in the line of duty and the sobering reality of the recent, dramatic rise in law enforcement suicides.
I spoke with the members of the Richmond Police Department to better understand when, how and why the thin blue line flag came to be part of the uniform and when, how and why the sticker was placed on one cruiser. For each officer, the Blue Line has always been a symbol of honor, of sacrifice, of unity and, when necessary, of mourning and bereavement.
I took time to educate myself on how to some, this symbol had been uniquely "co-opted" by Alt-right groups or "Blue Lives Matter" and the effects that has had.
I reached out and spoke with Community Leader and Activist, Sam Jackson. We talked about diversity, equity needs of the department and other related issues. During our candid conversation he provided me with a greater perspective and affirmation.
I spoke with and received correspondence from some of the people of Richmond about this matter. I can share that these opinions have varied.
The best part of working with the Officers here at Richmond is the way they responded. Each officer understands that in unity there is strength and divisive rhetoric or symbols will always be impediments to our goals.
At their core, these officers believe in due process and that due process is at its best when we remain objective, fair and impartial. Each is well aware of the human element at play; that emotions, life experience and implicit bias will challenge our abilities to remain objective, fair and impartial.
Most of all, it was their compassion and understanding that was the impetus for our decision to remove this symbol from our department cruisers and uniforms. Understanding that to some, the context of the thin blue line flag has become a symbol of racism. And compassion for those who are marginalized by racist and biased acts.
One thing that united all of those who weighed in on this matter was the agreement that there is support to honor and protect law enforcement officers.
In the coming months I plan to work with the officers and the town to see how, in a united way, we can best show our support and honor those who serve.
There are national organizations that do this work very well.
“National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund” https://nleomf.org/
“LeoUnited”, https://www.leunited.org
“COPS” (Concerns of Police Survivors) https://www.concernsofpolicesurvivors.org “Below 100” https://www.below100.org
My hope is to partner with an organization that best supports our mission and goals with the support of the Town of Richmond
Sincerely,
Larry Muldoon
Chief of Police
Richmond Vermont ... See more
Richmond, VT