The Thin Blue Line

Last night I was at Christmas Party for law enforcement officers and at some point the officers started showing off their cop tattoos.  So it got me to thinking.  What is the thin blue line and why is everyone so wrapped up in it.  I did a little research and found a definition that listed what every part of the symbol meant.

The Blue represents the officer and the courage they find deep inside when faced with insurmountable odds.
The Black background was designed as a constant reminder of our fallen brother and sister officers.
The Line, the line is what cops protect, the barrier between anarchy and a civilized society, between order and chaos, between respect for decency and lawlessness.
Together they symbolize the camaraderie law enforcement officers all share, a brotherhood like none other.

            No doubt that definition is well written and hits the nail on the head.  But what does it mean to us.  I think last night was proof what it means.  There was a room full of people that were in the law enforcement field.  There were police officers, deputies, troopers, DTF, wildlife officers (The Best One), dispatchers, jailers, secretaries, and even one phone man!  But when you looked at each one there was a story to be told with every one of them.  These stories have been twisted around so much over the years that I doubt there is little truth left in them!

            There is always the dispatcher that sends you back-up without you even having to ask for it.  The jailer that meets you at your unit to help you wrangle some crack head out of your car.  As for the fellow officer you know when you get in a fight that he will be there right beside you until the end.  If he's not there, he probably crashed his car out trying to get to you!  I know that just about every officer has the same fear of hearing their comrade holler for back-up and for a few seconds you don’t know where they're at.  We also can't forget our secretaries that wade through all the crap we turn in to them and make sense of it all. Lol  I do believe I could recite a funny story for most of everyone that was there last night.  I won't because what happens at Beth's stay's at Beth's (Even Hondo's Lunch).

            I guess what I am trying to say is that a picture of a blue line or a pretty poem is not what we stand for.  That line only means something when it's stamped on the arm of an officer.  It only means something when you look in the eyes of an officer's widow.  It means when you hear one of your buddies has been involved in a bad altercation, you really don’t rest until you hear their voice and know that they're ok!  It is the feeling you get when you arrest someone who has abused their spouse or children, or the drunk that is driving in the wrong lane when you pull them over!  There are also the disasters and wrecks that we work.  You look over at your partner and you know that he just had to look in the eyes of a child that has taken his or her last breath.

            When I look at a blue line all I see are the faces of the fine individuals that I have stood beside over the last few years.