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Watch Your Six - October 2017

Steve Gordon

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It’s our flag, respect it

The black and white American flag, with the horizontal blue stripe (line) through the middle of it is ours! It is a crystal-clear symbol of the American law enforcement officer: Police officers, deputy sheriffs, highway patrol, jailers and detectives. It represents the men and women who walk the thin blue line every day in whatever capacity it may be—from the front desk officer to the helicopter pilot. If you have taken an oath to stand between good and evil, the flag is yours.

You should be proud of our symbol and not be afraid to display it boldly in public. It is our responsibility, however, to treat our flag with honor and dignity. While we can condemn the misappropriation of our flag by other groups, and we have, it is our responsibility to ensure that when we display the blue line flag, we do it in a way that reflects the best of our profession. Keep in mind that our symbol represents not only the over 630,000 law enforcement officers in the United States, but also the ultimate sacrifice paid by the over 100 officers who die in the line of duty every year.

Be aware when you fly our flag that you fly it for all of us. It should serve as a subtle reminder to the public of that role we play, standing between good and evil.

Outreach days for divisions: Make them work for you

As most of you know by now, especially if you work a patrol division, your League organizes an outreach day for our members to proactively come to you. You may know it as an “In-N-Out” burger day. However you want to look at it, it’s an important day for us as a union because we get an opportunity to connect directly with you, provide you with a good meal and bring our services out to you because you deserve it. As law enforcement officers, we risk more than the average citizen and sometimes find ourselves locked in and see the future in tunnel vision. Our job is filled with uncertainty, violence, trauma and stress, along with forgetfulness. If you have run out of the station to a “help call” only to remember when it’s way too late that your gun is securely locked in a gun locker back at the station, you may know what I mean. If anyone has done that more than once, please email me so I can put your photo in the Blue Line.

I want to ensure you make those outreach days work for you too. Take the time to think about what your short- and longterm needs are. Personally, I don’t care how you spend your money, and I will never tell you or ask you to invest it in any of the programs offered by the League. If, for some reason, you like to car surf, bungee jump or any other activity that may cause you an injury off-duty, AFLAC may be a wise choice you. I have heard of dozens of officers who have benefited from AFLAC immensely. But that’s up to you.

If you happen to be in a division that is having an outreach day, take some time and stop by the League table. Check in with us. Ask questions. We promise not to try and sell you anything. We just want to make sure everything is updated with us—your current address, email, phone numbers and, sorry to say, your beneficiaries. Believe me, you will not be the first member to realize that if something were to happen to you, somebody you no longer care for will receive everything you have worked for. Good times.