North Cook News

Mount Prospect’s police patch has come under fire again, with six residents submitting written comments to the village board asking for the thin blue line to be removed from the patch.

Police Chief John Koziol has defended the patch, saying that it is a symbol for the line between chaos and order. He said it also signifies honoring fallen officers, the Daily-Herald reported. 

When the patch was introduced in 2017, the department said the patch honored law enforcement and embraces the village’s history with the year the village was incorporated and a star on the state’s outline where the village is located.

“The thin blue-lined flag honors the law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their communities, losing their life in the line of duty,” the release noted. “The thin blue line also represents the oath that law enforcement officers have taken to protect our citizens from harm.”

In the written comments to the village, the Daily-Herald reported, Ronak McFadden questioned when the symbol would be removed, noting that the imagery was being used by extremists.

Another resident, Carole Martz, wrote that while she was sympathetic to the meaning of the symbol for fallen officers, she, too, felt that it was associated with the U.S. Capitol attack.

"However, given the number of blue lives flags (present) at the recent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, bold measures are needed to rid our village of what is now and forever associated with this threat to our democracy,” Martz wrote.

Another resident, Jennifer Ciok, said the symbol needed to be removed to make the community more welcoming.

A supporter of the patch made a Facebook post calling for residents of the village to support the patch. 

“IL residents need to write to the Mayor and Sheriff of Mount Prospect, IL,” CJ Busch wrote. “They received 6 letters to remove the thin blue line patch; so we need to send them 60 letters objecting to the removal. This is the part where we take action locally and we are no longer silent!!! These are the things that slip quietly through the cracks that we blow off as ludicrous...and here we are wondering how the left took over the country.”