University of Wisconsin Police Chief Bans Thin Blue Line Symbol

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s police chief has issued a directive that bans the thin blue line flag and imagery on everything from coffee mugs to bracelets.

“Effective immediately, visible public displays of thin blue line imagery while operating in an official capacity are disallowed. This includes flags, pins, bracelets, notebooks, coffee mugs, decals, etc.,” Chief Kristen Roman wrote in an internal email obtained by Wisconsin Right Now . She did make two exemptions: visible tattoos and possibly “displays such as line-of-duty death observances.”

In the e-mail Roman wrote that extremists who have “so visibly coopted the thin blue line flag” place officers at “greater risk.” She added, “The balance has tipped, and we must consider the cost of clinging to a symbol that is undeniably and inextricably linked to actions and beliefs antithetical to UWPD’s values.”