<p>In recent years, the expression of the thin blue line (TBL) patch on police uniforms has become politically contested, causing police services and police associations to request officers not to wear the patch. What has yet to be empirically explored, is how officers interpret the patch and not being able to wear it. To do so, the current article relies on semi-structured interviews with 27 police officers from across Canada to better unpack how police officers believe the TBL has become misrepresented, how current interpretations misalign with the meanings that police officers attribute the patch to represent, and the underlying mental health meanings of the TBL and its commemoration of fallen officers. Our analysis concludes with a discussion about the moral and emotional challenges of restricting officers from wearing the patch given its cultural meaning and outlines concomitant policy suggestions for police services.</p>