You have seen the flag: black and white stripes, with one stripe in blue or red. People wear it, fly it and put it on trucks, and plenty of people ask what it means. Here is the history, from a Scottish regiment in 1854 to the firehouses and precincts of today, what each color stands for, and how to wear one properly.
The original thin red line
The phrase starts at the Battle of Balaclava on October 25, 1854, during the Crimean War. The 93rd Highlanders, a Scottish infantry regiment, stood two ranks deep against a Russian cavalry charge instead of forming the usual square. A Times correspondent, William Howard Russell, described them as a "thin red streak tipped with a line of steel," and the public shortened it to the thin red line. The meaning has not changed in 170 years: a small number of people standing between danger and everyone behind them.
How blue got added
American police borrowed the image in the early twentieth century, swapping red for the blue of their uniforms. The phrase thin blue line was in use by the 1920s and became widely known in the 1950s, when Los Angeles Police Chief William H. Parker used it in speeches and in a department television program of the same name. The idea is the same as Balaclava: the officers are the line between order and chaos. The 1988 documentary "The Thin Blue Line" put the phrase in front of a wider audience.
The flag itself
The thin blue line flag is a recent design. It appeared in the 2010s as a black-and-white American flag with the stripe just below the canton colored blue, and it spread quickly through police families, memorial ceremonies and fundraising for fallen officers. The firefighter version followed with a red stripe. The black and white is read two ways: as mourning, and as the public that the line protects, on both sides of it. The colored stripe is the people in uniform.
What the colors mean
- Blue: law enforcement. Police officers, sheriff's deputies, troopers, corrections.
- Red: firefighters, and often the whole fire service including wildland crews.
- Other colors have been added over time: white for EMS and medical personnel, green for federal agents, military and conservation officers, gold for dispatchers and communications, silver or gray for corrections. These are less standardized than the blue and red.
Subdued versus full color
Most of what you see on shirts and hats is the subdued version: the flag in black, dark gray and a single muted stripe, rather than bright colors. There are two reasons. The subdued flag is closer to what is worn on a tactical uniform, where a bright flag patch would be a target. And it reads quieter, which is how most officers and firefighters prefer to wear it off duty. Our Thin Blue Line Flag Tee and Thin Red Line Flag Tee are both subdued, with the flag drawn in-house so the stripe sits where it belongs, below the canton, not centered.
How police and firefighters wear it
Off duty is the rule. Many departments and fire districts limit or prohibit the flag on duty uniforms, vehicles and station property, and the policies vary by city, so a gift for someone in uniform should be something they can wear at home, at the gym or at a memorial, not something that puts them in a policy conversation at work. Families wear it more freely: the spouse at a fundraiser, the parent at a graduation, the kid at a Little League game.
- Tees: the Thin Blue Line Flag Tee and Thin Red Line Flag Tee, soft ringspun cotton, unisex, true to size.
- Hoodies: the Thin Blue Line Flag Hoodie and Thin Red Line Flag Hoodie, heavyweight fleece for night shifts and cold scenes.
- Caps: the Thin Blue Line Flag Cap and Thin Red Line Flag Cap, embroidered trucker hats, one size.
- For the radio nerds: the 10-8 Tee. 10-8 is the radio code for in service, available for calls. It is the shirt an officer puts on for the first shift back after leave, or a retiree wears to say they are still on.
Military and first responders
A large share of police officers and firefighters are veterans, which is why a veteran-owned military brand makes first responder gear at all. The jobs share a culture of shifts, radio codes, dark humor and showing up when everyone else is leaving. If you are shopping for a veteran who went on to a department, the Veteran Tee and a thin line cap cover both halves of the story.
Timing and shipping
Everything is printed or embroidered to order in two to five business days and ships USPS from the USA. Free U.S. shipping over $50. Holiday order-by dates are on the holiday shipping page. See the whole First Responders collection, or go straight to police or firefighter gear.
Common questions
What does the thin blue line flag mean?
Support for law enforcement and remembrance of fallen officers. The black and white stripes represent the public, the blue stripe the officers who stand between them and harm.
What does the thin red line flag mean?
The same idea for firefighters. The red stripe honors firefighters, living and fallen, and the phrase traces back to the Battle of Balaclava in 1854.
Is it okay for civilians to wear a thin blue line or thin red line shirt?
Yes. The flags are worn mostly by families and supporters. Wear it respectfully, and if you are buying for someone in uniform, assume they will wear it off duty.
Veteran-owned. Built for the mission.