(July 27, 2017) In a show of solidarity with law enforcement agencies across the nation, the Snow Hill Police department is flying a Thin Blue Line (American) Flag in front of its headquarters on West Green Street.
Snow Hill Police Chief Tom Davis said Mayor Charlie Dorman provided the flag.
“It was the mayor’s idea,” he said. “In April he got it and gave it to the department.”
Dorman hatched the plan after learning Ocean City painted a thin blue line along 65th Street leading up to the Public Safety building in late February.
“Ocean City painted that thin blue line, but we really don’t have a street to do that,” he said.
In lieu of adding a dash of blue to Green Street, Dorman formulated an alternative.
“I though it would be an ideal thing to have the Thin Blue Line Flag fly over the police department,” he said.
Use of the thin blue line as a show of support for law enforcement originated in Britain. In the U.S., the symbol became associated with the Blue Lives Matter pro-police movement that was launched following the murders of New York City Police Department officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in Brooklyn on December 20, 2014. The pair was ambushed while sitting in their patrol vehicle.
The campaign in support of law enforcement was also in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Outcries from the African-American community coalesced around the namesake hashtag following the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman for fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.
Davis said the flag symbolizes support for all law enforcement agencies, while simultaneously honoring the dangers and sacrifices faced by officers on a daily basis.
“We may not consciously think about it everyday, but it’s an awareness that’s always with us,” he said.
Snow Hill Police Chief Tom Davis said Mayor Charlie Dorman provided the flag.
“It was the mayor’s idea,” he said. “In April he got it and gave it to the department.”
Dorman hatched the plan after learning Ocean City painted a thin blue line along 65th Street leading up to the Public Safety building in late February.
“Ocean City painted that thin blue line, but we really don’t have a street to do that,” he said.
In lieu of adding a dash of blue to Green Street, Dorman formulated an alternative.
“I though it would be an ideal thing to have the Thin Blue Line Flag fly over the police department,” he said.
Use of the thin blue line as a show of support for law enforcement originated in Britain. In the U.S., the symbol became associated with the Blue Lives Matter pro-police movement that was launched following the murders of New York City Police Department officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu in Brooklyn on December 20, 2014. The pair was ambushed while sitting in their patrol vehicle.
The campaign in support of law enforcement was also in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. Outcries from the African-American community coalesced around the namesake hashtag following the 2013 acquittal of George Zimmerman for fatally shooting unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.
Davis said the flag symbolizes support for all law enforcement agencies, while simultaneously honoring the dangers and sacrifices faced by officers on a daily basis.
“We may not consciously think about it everyday, but it’s an awareness that’s always with us,” he said.