Thin Blue Line Flag Flown at Law Enforcement Center in Violation of County Policy

A Thin Blue Line flag – a symbol of support for law enforcement that has also become associated with the January 6 insurrection and Unite the Right white nationalist rallies – flew at the Law Enforcement Center in Traverse City for weeks without the knowledge of county and city leadership, including Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael Shea and Traverse City Police Chief Matt Richmond. The county, which owns the building and previously prohibited flying a Pride flag at the Governmental Center on the grounds it violated policy, acknowledged the Thin Blue Line flag also violates policy and took it down Wednesday.

A concerned city resident reached out to both county and city representatives and The Ticker about the flag. The woman, who asked not to be identified, says she often drives down Woodmere Avenue and noticed the Thin Blue Line flag flying below the American flag on the Law Enforcement Center flagpole (pictured). “It concerned me, because while I know the flag had good intentions when it started, and I totally support the police, unfortunately it has been co-opted by the far right,” she says. “I just don’t think it belongs flying at our police department. It doesn’t make me feel welcome.”

The woman says she believes the flag has been up for at least several weeks. When contacted by The Ticker, both Sheriff Shea and Chief Richmond said they had no idea the flag was flying in front of the building. Like other staff, Shea and Richmond enter the Law Enforcement Center from a separate entrance that doesn’t face the front of the property. “I was not aware of it,” Richmond says, adding he knows that the flag has become politically controversial in recent years. Shea says the county’s facilities department maintains the building’s flagpole, not law enforcement staff.

“I don’t know when it got put up, I don’t know why it got put up, but regardless, it should not have been flown,” Shea says. He notes the flag – which resembles an American flag but is black and white with a blue line running through it – is significant to law enforcement as a “symbol of supporting our brothers and sisters.” However, Shea says he would also “never want to alienate anyone in our community. We were not even aware of it.”

County Administrator Nate Alger confirms the flag was flown in violation of county policy. That policy states that unless approved by the county administrator – a request that must be submitted in writing at least three days prior – no objects may be “hung, tacked to, leaned against, or in any fashion affixed” to county buildings. The policy also states that “objects such as signs, symbols, or exhibits may not be placed on county property.” Alger cited that policy when denying an official request from the City of Traverse City to fly a Pride flag at the Governmental Center in 2021 (while the city owns a portion of the Governmental Center, the county is the majority owner).

Alger has the discretion to approve such requests, but says he’d prefer not to have that discretion and has made it his position to only fly the U.S. and state flags “to avoid these issues right here.” As a former law enforcement officer, Alger says the Thin Blue Line symbol was created to represent the fact “there are relatively few people out protecting the public. That’s how it was intended.” However, he acknowledges that “it’s been politicized...others have changed it and used it for purposes beyond that.”

Numerous police departments across the country have grappled with how to treat Thin Blue Line symbolism – including the flag – in light of recent political controversy. The Los Angeles Police Department banned displaying the symbol on officer uniforms, police vehicles, or station lobbies, while the University of Wisconsin-Madison's police chief banned officers from using the imagery while on duty. Maryland’s Montgomery County Police Department removed the flag from any public space within its department despite pressure from the state’s governor, citing concerns its display would harm community relations. While departments typically allow officers to display the flag on their own personal property as a First Amendment right, the controversy it can bring when displayed on public property has prompted policy changes in many communities.

Alger says former Sheriff Tom Bensley previously requested to fly the Thin Blue Line flag at the Law Enforcement Center, but Alger denied that request. Bensley retired last September. Shea was appointed by a county committee to fill the rest of Bensley’s term through the end of 2024 (Shea is up for election this fall). Alger says former Facilities Director Joe Berry was typically responsible for lowering and raising flags at the Law Enforcement Center. Berry collapsed at a county commission meeting in late March and has since left his position. County Parks and Recreation Director John Chase, who did not return a request for comment, has been serving as interim facilities director since then.

Alger still uses the staff entrance to the Law Enforcement Center and says he also hadn’t seen the flag before. Alger was working Wednesday on identifying who on staff had raised it. “We don’t know if it was facilities, or if someone from the Law Enforcement Center put it up,” he says. Alger says the county will conduct an internal investigation and determine – once the employee is identified – how to proceed, including whether to implement disciplinary action. After Alger informed staff Wednesday that the flag was violating county policy, it was taken down at the Law Enforcement Center.