How a Thin Blue Line Sticker Sparked Bigger Questions About What a Symbol Means

By Jacob Rueda

When Officer David Singleton (not his real name) saw a “Thin Blue Line” flag sticker on his neighbor’s car, he assumed it was a gesture of support until the neighbor told him otherwise.

Singleton, an officer working in Salt Lake County, approached the neighbor about the flag sticker. After asking why his neighbor placed the sticker on his car, the neighbor told him that he placed it there “to piss off liberals.”

The answer surprised him, but it’s also becoming part of a broader trend: a once relatively uncontroversial symbol now carries a variety of meanings, many of them deeply political.

What Is the Thin Blue Line symbol, originally?

The phrase "thin blue line" dates back to a 1911 poem by Nels Dickmann Anderson in his book “The Voice of the Infinite, and Other Poems.” In it, Anderson uses the phrase to describe American soldiers who historically wore blue uniforms. It was a military metaphor, not yet attached to policing.

The flag most commonly associated with the term — black and white, with a single horizontal blue stripe — was created by a company called Thin Blue Line USA in 2014.

For those in law enforcement, the symbol is often personal, representing loyalty, unity, and the sacrifices officers make to protect their communities. 

How the symbol’s meaning is shifting

The Thin Blue Line flag symbolizes the sacrifice made by police. However, it now has deeply political meanings beyond law enforcement.

Despite its significance in law enforcement, not everyone reads the Thin Blue Line flag the same way. In recent years, sociologists and rhetorical scholars have documented how its meaning has expanded, or fractured in some cases.

A 2024 study in the Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric by researchers Bryan Lutz and Carson Babbit analyzed 25 retailers selling Thin Blue Line merchandise. Reviewing more than 1,000 associated images, they found that the symbol was used in multiple and sometimes conflicting narratives. Some websites presented it as a memorial or tribute, while others connected it to political issues. In some cases, the imagery was linked to rhetoric associated with white nationalist groups.

The findings echo real-world controversies. A Maryland court case explored how the Thin Blue Line symbol was perceived when bailiffs wore masks bearing the design. The defense argued it could prejudice a fair trial because of its association with extremist movements.

Closer to home, Salt Lake Community College removed a Thin Blue Line sticker from its safety office window after students raised concerns. Some saw it as a sign of support for police; others viewed it as a symbol adopted by white nationalist groups. 

Why the symbol is contested

There are different reasons why the Thin Blue Line flag is now controversial. Critics, particularly during racial protests, perceive it as a symbol of “us vs. them,” despite a different interpretation from some law enforcement officers. Meanwhile, some fringe groups have taken the flag and used it for their own ideological messages, further complicating the original meaning.

The symbol has also made its way into law through legislation. In 2023, Ohio passed House Bill 100, which protects the right to display the Thin Blue Line flag in certain contexts. This legislative protection has sparked further debate over whether it is merely a free-speech issue or whether it risks emboldening the symbol's more troubling associations.

The tension between intention and interpretation plays a major role in the ongoing discussion. Like in the case of Officer Singleton, the intent behind displaying the symbol does not always align with how others interpret it. “People can view any symbol however they want,” said Kent Oggart, a safety supervisor at Salt Lake Community College. Researchers note that this gap between personal meaning and public perception is central to why the symbol remains contested.