Bill to stop banning of "thin blue line" flags was introduced into Ohio legislature

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A bill prohibiting landlords from banning the “thin blue line” flag was introduced into the Ohio House of Representatives. The “thin blue line” flag has been used as a symbol of support for law enforcement across the nation. House Bill 712, introduced by Republican Representatives Kevin Miller...

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A bill prohibiting landlords from banning the “thin blue line” flag was introduced into the Ohio House of Representatives.

The “thin blue line” flag has been used as a symbol of support for law enforcement across the nation.

House Bill 712, introduced by Republican Representatives Kevin Miller of Newark and Timothy Ginter of Salem, would amend portions of the Ohio Revised Code, banning trailer park owners, landlords, and homeowner associations from preventing the display of the flag.

In 2021, New Albany homeowners, Joseph J. Swantack, Jr., and Christine M. Swantack were fined by their homeowner’s association and threatened with a lawsuit if they did not remove their flag.

The National Police Association, a law enforcement advocacy group, filed a federal lawsuit against the New Albany Park Condominium Association Board of Directors in May, seeking an injunction from the court.

The University of Wisconsin Police Department banned all imagery of the “thin blue line” following backlash from a picture the department shared that showed a “thin blue line” flag in the background.

Chief of Police Chief Kristen Roman released a statement at the time saying, “Guided by our core values, my responsibility to ensure your safety as best I’m able, and by what I believe in my heart is the right thing to do under present circumstances, I am moved to enact specific measures to distance UWPD from the thin blue line imagery and the fear and mistrust that it currently evokes for too many in our community. I understand the complexity and sensitivity of this issue. Attempts I’ve made to point to distinctions and true meaning as well as denounce acts committed under the thin blue line banner nationally continue to fall short in ways I can’t simply ignore. The balance has tipped, and we must consider the cost of clinging to a symbol that is undeniably and inextricably linked to actions and beliefs antithetical to UWPD’s values.