Saint John police instructed not to wear 'thin blue line' patch after controversy online
Saint John Police officers have been ordered to stop wearing 'thin blue line' patches while in uniform.
The directive was issued to members, and posted by the Saint John Police Force on its Twitter account Friday.
The force wasn't giving interviews on the topic Monday.
Photos have recently been posted to social media platforms showing city officers wearing the patch while in uniform.
The patch is controversial in many jurisdictions. Some believe it shows an 'us-versus-them' attitude amongst law enforcement while others believe it signifies solidarity between officers.
"There is pretty widespread consideration across the country and in the policing community that these were not appropriate symbols for conversations around repairing community relationships between the public and police," says David Hickey, a Saint John city councillor.
In October, the RCMP told its members they could no longer display the patch depicting a black and grey Canadian flag with blue stripe through it while on duty.
Some metropolitan police forces in Canada, including Ottawa and Victoria, have since banned the insignia, while others, including Montreal, are reviewing its use.
The Saint John chapter of Black Lives Matter is following the local discussion, and is disappointed the force didn't offer more in its directive.
"Are they going to seek an educational moment from this? Probably not," says Matthew Martin, president of Black Lives Matter Saint John.
"They took the easy way out of saying 'you're not allowed to wear it because its policy' rather than saying 'why do you want to wear these patches?"
The city's police union says it's also frustrated a longer explanation wasn't offered.
"It would've been nice if the force had provided some history or some reasoning of what the patch was," says Duane Squires, president of the Saint John Police Association. "The force's direction to our members was it's not an issued piece of equipment, you're not supposed to be wearing that and we understand that."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.