Smithtown FD Removes 'Thin Blue Line' Flag Following Complaint

SMITHTOWN, NY — The Smithtown Fire Department made the "difficult decision" to pull a "thin blue line" flag from its rescue truck and replace it with an American flag, the department announced Wednesday.

The "thin blue line" flag is a pro-police flag in the model of the American flag, but with black and white stripes and a dark blue line in the center. The Smithtown Fire Department on Feb. 2 received a notification from Newsday that a member of the community issued a complaint about the pro-police flag on its truck. The fire department eventually pulled the flag and replaced it.

"In response to this notification the issue was discussed, and it was determined that the best course of action for all parties involved was to have the flag replaced with an American Flag," the fire department stated. "This was a difficult decision to make as our steadfast support of our law enforcement partners has not changed. While we understand that this garners strong feelings on both sides of our community, we wish to focus on the life and property protection we provide to the residents of Smithtown."

Newsday forwarded to fire officials a photograph that a woman took of the "thin blue line" flag flying from the back of the fire department's Rescue 9 truck as it headed down Main Street in Smithtown, Newsday reported.

"There was no intent to offend anybody," Christopher Ring, a lawyer for the Smithtown Fire District, told Newsday. "They chose to err on the side of caution and replace the flag."

The fire department's decision to remove the flag was met with criticism from the community on social media.

"The FDNY always has blue line flags on the back of their rigs, we support one another," one Facebook commenter wrote. "Shame on you for caving in to political pressure coming from the minority."

The "thin blue line" flag was originally put on the fire department's vehicle in 2014 as a memorial to a pair of New York Police Department officers who were killed in Brooklyn, News 12 Long Island reported.

The flag became the center of controversy as it was flown at pro-police and pro-Donald Trump rallies following the Black Lives Matter marches in summer 2020.

Some police chiefs have banned their departments from using the flag or imagery.

Bill Scott, San Francisco's chief of police, in May 2020 banned his officers from wearing "thin blue line" face masks for fear they would be seen as "divisive and disrespectful," The Marshall Project reported.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Chief Kristen Roman in January barred officers from using "thin blue line" imagery while on-duty, NBC News reported.

Roman said the pro-police flag was "co-opted" by extremists with "hateful ideologies" who promote views that "run counter" to the "core values" of the department, and that it impedes the department's "efforts to build trust," according to NBC News.