The Blue Line Flag: A Force for Good, Peace and Protection
/By Lt. Joseph Pangaro, CPM, CSO
Blue is the color of many things. Like all colors, blue moves us, intrigues us, motivates us and is imbued with meaning. “True Blue” is a term and connection to the color that has stood the test of time. True Blue means loyal, respectful, honorable, just, and sincere. These may not have been the intentions of nature when she created the colors of the rainbow, but they have been adopted by people to describe a feeling or belief and how it is characterized by the color. When we think of colors, we can see a connection to other feelings and concepts.
Red is a powerful color and has a completely different meaning than and represents different feelings than blue. Red is fiery, sexy, aggressive and strong. We have the red power tie for men to express this connotation of power. Yellow, on the other hand, is a weaker color, yellow can say “caution,” slow down and a host of other things, but we don’t think of yellow as powerful or loyal, do we?
How about the little black dress or the pink bow, or the dark blue suit, they all send messages that we humans recognize, seemingly naturally. We don’t really think about it until we have to.
I teach a course on courtroom testimony. In that class I cover how to use your reports, the tone of your voice, the way you take the oath, where you look in the room, how to treat the judge and the lawyers and I talk about the clothes you wear to testify, because colors reflect feeling and emotions.
I say if you are a witness in a multi-day trail, on day one and on direct examination from the prosecutor, you as a law enforcement officer should wear a dark color suit or dress with a blue tie. This color combination expresses strength, control and with the blue tie to accent it, integrity because blue gives that impression.
On day two, or whatever day you will face cross examination, I suggest wearing a brown suit or dress and a light brown tie. Brown is a nice color, neutral, calm and does not scream control and power, instead it is softer and when the defense attorney is grilling you, you want to appear honest and calm, even a bit vulnerable to the jury so they will see you as a person they can connect to as the big bad lawyer attacks you.
These color examples make the point; we do see colors as a way of defining something, expressing something and making a statement. So, did these implied characteristics come from me? No, they have been with humanity for thousands of years for reasons we may never be able to definitively say why, but colors move us, they speak to us and they do have power.
That being said, and with some understanding now of how color defines a thing, let’s look at the Police blue line flag. First we have to define it. It is not an American flag with different colors; it is a different flag altogether. If it were the American flag, then it would represent our country, and arguably the police blue line flag does not represent the USA, it represents the men and women of law enforcement. The stars, stripes and configuration may look similar to the American flag, but that is just on the surface. The police Blue Line Flag, its meaning and what it represents goes much deeper than just representing law enforcement. It represents what law enforcement means to the members of the service.
The colors of the Blue Line Flag were chosen to highlight the blue line which represents every man and women that has ever donned the uniform and walked a beat or patrolled the tiers. All of us are that blue line. No matter where we work, what size of our agency or our mission, job title, assignment or the color of our skin, where we were born or who we love we are all blue, and we walk the line of service to others. We protect the weak and defend the innocent; we chase the demons and run toward danger at our own peril. We suffer and sacrifice to the point of death to accomplish these goals and complete our mission.
The Blue Line flag does not represent hate directed toward anyone, nor does it stand for oppression, or stand for one group’s dominance over another. What it does stand for is duty, honor, fidelity, service to community, courage in the face of evil, dedication to principles of the greater good, and brotherhood and sisterhood bonded in a belief that there is right and wrong, good and bad and that those who stand on that Blue line are one.
A force for good in a free society; a force for peace in a time of chaos and a force of protection for everyone.
Ours is a noble profession and one deserving of our pride. Law enforcement at any level is built on a foundation of sacrifice and service to others with an undertaking that starts when we are young and makes demands of our time, our skills, our families, our hearts and souls. It is a profession that demands our respect and commitment to things greater than ourselves and it is a responsibility that cannot be disregarded for one second even after the years of active service are over. When you take the oath, you are part of the law enforcement family forever and you are committed to the ideals of justice for your entire life.
When I see the Blue Line Flag I see that pride, that nobility, that commitment, that dedication, that honor, and I see the blood that has been spilled by those represented by the blue line flag that have made the ultimate sacrifice for others. That is what I see when I see that flag, because that is what it represents because we, the men and women who walk the blue line, say that’s what it means. It is our creation, our expression and our representation of the essence of the blue line and the profession we belong to.
Others may disparage it, give it false meaning and assign to it false expression or hidden meaning but none of that is true. Our Blue Line Flag is blue for a reason and for all the things that the color blue represents. We must not allow anyone to define who we are or what our flag stands for. We are true blue.
Lt. Joseph Pangaro retired after serving 27 years at a police department in Monmouth County, NJ, having served as the Lead Training Officer. Pangaro is a graduate of Fairleigh Dickenson University’s Certified Public Managers Program (CPM). He’s a newspaper columnist who writes about the rigors and joys in law enforcement. Joseph Pangaro is the CEO and President of Pangaro Training and Management, and Pangaro Global Training, an online training company. E-mail at: JPangaro@TrueSecurityDesign.com, www.TrueSecurityDesign.com
