Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green apologized Saturday for displaying an image of a “thin blue line” flag in a Jan. 9 social media post recognizing National Law Enforcement Day.
The original post is no longer visible on the department’s Facebook page. “While the post was intended to thank our police officers, it appears the image offended some who viewed it. For this, I sincerely apologize,” Green wrote in a statement Jan. 13.
Green said his duty is to “honor and recognize the men and women who serve” Golden Valley, while calling the department’s depiction of the flag a “mistake.”
“When we make mistakes, we acknowledge them, correct them when possible, and learn from them,” Green wrote in the statement. His provided readers with a link to an article from The Marshall Project explaining the original intent and history of the “thin blue line” American flag. (RELATED: Politifact Agrees With Calling ‘Thin Blue Line’ Flag ‘Anti-Black Lives Matter’)
Other police departments in the country have moved to ban the use of the flag among officers. San Francisco police Chief William Scott reportedly worried some might find the symbol “divisive and disrespectful” when he prohibited officers from wearing “thin blue line” face masks in 2020.
The Los Angeles Police Department in January ordered the flag be removed from public areas in the department after it received a complaint saying the flag stood for “violent, extremist views,” according to Fox News. The department’s move to ban the flag reportedly prompted accusations of “political pandering” from a police union.