Calgary police to delay removal of thin blue line patches, citing internal discord

A recent decision by the Calgary Police Commission to require officers to remove a controversial thin blue line patch from their uniforms has deepened discord within the police service, according to Calgary's police chief.

As a result, Calgary police have delayed by two weeks a requirement that officers remove the patches.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Chief Mark Neufeld referred to the directive as a breaking point, saying it had brought to the surface other unresolved, underlying issues. 

"Our members were quite frankly incensed by the [commission's] decision," said Neufeld. 

"Any time you feel like something like this is thrust upon you, a defensive reaction is not a surprising reaction, especially around topics that go right to the level of your values and right to the heart of your identity."

For some members of the Calgary police, the patch, which shows a thin blue line running through a depiction of the Canadian flag, is seen as a way to remember fallen officers. But the symbol has also become associated with white supremacy, an interpretation that led to the commission's review of its use in the first place. 

The commission told officers that they would no longer be able to wear thin blue line patches on their uniforms beginning March 31.

In response, the Calgary Police Association, which represents more than 2,000 Calgary police officers, told its members to defy the commission's order, and continue to wear the patch.

Neufeld said enforcement of the symbol's removal would be delayed two weeks starting Tuesday, in order to have further discussions with members of the force and the commission, which is the independent civilian body that provides police oversight. 

He added that police force morale was at an "all time low" and that narratives surrounding the meaning behind the thin blue line patch had been unfairly simplified. 

"Removing patches from the uniforms is one thing, but completely vilifying the symbol and its meaning to our people … is very much another."

Last year, the police commission launched a review of the patch's use by officers. The review included conversations with several groups, including the city's two police associations, the police service's leadership, Beyond the Blue, an organization that supports local police families, the police service's Anti-Racism Action Committee, and the police service's community advisory boards.

In a statement released Tuesday, the commission said its ruling on the patch had been based on "diverse interpretations of what the symbol represents to members of our community."

"This has never been a question of whether police officers are wearing the symbol with good intentions, it was a decision taken because the symbol's meaning is mixed and lands differently on a significant number of people in our city," said commission chair Shawn Cornett.