Milwaukee Police Chief Bans 'Blue Line' in Name of 'Equity and Inclusion'

The Milwaukee Police Department has banned the use of "thin blue line" imagery in the name of "equity and inclusion, Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman announced in a roll call video presented to officers Thursday morning.

"The 'blue line' image should not be attached to any MPD image posted publicly in any of our buildings or attached to any of the MPD property such as equipment or vehicles," Norman said. "Understand that this is done to have an equitable and inclusive environment for our police department."

Norman added that the directive does not include private use of the image in officers' home lives or in pre-approved ceremonies for fallen officers.

"This is outrageous," said one officer. "The police chief is banning the symbol of the police."

Last week, "The Dan O'Donnell Show" reported exclusively that Norman had banned flyers advertising MPD's "Blue Line Chapel" services that depicted the thin blue line because, sources said, Norman was concerned that members of the Milwaukee community could see them and might be offended. A spokesman for the Department said at the time that "over the past few years the 'blue line' image has come to represent different meanings, among different segments within our community."

"Please note that I have denied other requests to use images that would be attached to MPD that I felt would not reflect the professionalism and objectivity of what this organization represents to our community," Norman said in the video.

In recent months, the Milwaukee Police Department has changed the profile picture on its official Facebook page to a rainbow colored MPD badge for pride month and a Milwaukee Bucks logo to celebrate the team winning the NBA championship.

"The pride flag is perfectly fine, but the image that represents pride in police work isn't? What a joke," said one officer after attending Thursday's morning's roll call.

"I recognize the importance of what the blue line image represents," Norman said. "In one view, there is courage, sacrifice, commitment, and honor, [but] I do understand there's another side of what the blue line image is being seen [as] by many individuals in our community and our organization, such as 'thin blue line,' 'cone of silence,' 'us vs. them.' In the area of equity and inclusion, I must set the tone and be the standard-bearer."