The United Coalition of Public Safety (UCOPS) issued a strongly worded statement calling foul on extremists using the "Thin Blue Line". Law enforcement is often referred to as the "Thin Blue Line." This phrase, derived from the blue color of police uniforms, acknowledges that the small number of men and women employed in law enforcement who are the thin line protecting society from evil and disorder.
The "Thin Blue Line" symbol, a blue line on a black background, has been created to allow community members to show support for law enforcement. Those who attempt to hijack that symbol for their own purposes (hate groups such as the neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, or the KKK) are despicable and most certainly do not represent the values for which that symbol stands.
Although Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies proudly wear tan and green, we are united with our brothers and sisters who wear blue in law enforcement, and proudly claim the "Thin Blue Line" symbol.
ALADS joins UCOPS in expressing our outrage at any attempt to hijack the "Thin Blue Line" as a symbol of hate and intolerance. Blue symbolizes more than our uniforms and encompasses all the diversity of those who wear them. When one looks at the photos of the 67officers who according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, have died in the line of duty so far this year, there's no racial preference.
