The thin blue line

We were now halfway through our ride along, and after a morning of excitement it was time to head into the office and eat lunch. As we sit down,  I look over to the top of his desk where on the wall a black, white, and gray American with a blue line in the middle was hung. I ask him what it is, and he says it’s the thin blue line, the symbol for fallen police officers and for those who support the boys in blue. As we’re eating lunch, I keep on looking at it and see much more meaning in it. Of the thirteen stripes, only one is blue. Only one decides to go out and deal with the darkness of the world. The biggest meaning I get out of it is that it’s a thin blue line – not only meaning there are only a few in the profession – but also that they have a very thin line to walk. Personal body cameras, the media ready to post any story of an officer screwing up and a ethnic divide all makes policing harder than it already is. “The media needs to learn that personal body camera’s are not a catch all,” Officer Larson stated. “With mine on my chest, if someone is on my left and pulls a gun on me, when I turn my hands are already up ready to defend myself and blocking the camera.”

But Larson agrees that these cameras are beneficial, and not only help keep officers in check but can help us understand what really went down in the situation. Since we were talking about keeping officers in check, I finally decided to ask him about the problems facing policing and the black community. It’s a question that’s plagued policing since the 50’s with Jim Crow Laws and water cannons, with dogs and riot gear. “I think both sides are at fault,” Larson said. He goes on to explain that new police need to learn how to deal with different cultures and ethnicities. “Other cultures have different behaviors than we do. Some will be more vocal, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to hurt an officer. Others will avoid eye contact. In our culture that’s a sign of disrespect or that someone is hiding something, but in theirs that’s their way of showing respect.” This is the biggest thing to fixing the divide between policing – learning about one another. If only it was that simple.