The Thin Blue Line… Behind the Shield… The Blue Brotherhood… There are a few different ways of referring to the family that is comprised of our law enforcement professionals as well as the families and friends that support them (us). “The job” isn’t just a job – and we all know that. It’s a calling and it’s one that has been calling compassionate warriors for centuries. Across those centuries, while the name of the profession has changed, the underlying commitment to keeping the peace and sacrificing so that others may enjoy a higher quality of life has not. That is what the Left Chest Society apparel from Honor Line is meant to signify.
The badge itself – sometimes shield shaped but sometimes star shaped (and sometimes both with the star inlayed on the shield) – is a symbol of safety that dates back hundreds of years (at least). The first “badges” were shields carried by warriors tasked with keeping the peace and protecting a given area such as a city. The early shields were nothing more than shaped wood with straps to be held but as soon as man learned how to make and work with metals, the wood shields had a harder shell applied. That also made the shield heavier so as the hardness grew thanks to the metal facing, the shields sometimes shrank to reduce the weight.
By the middle ages, knights were carrying a shield that had their coat of arms on it. The Coat of Arms denoted what family the knight came from as well as what royalty he held loyalty to. There were also usually (or at least often) symbols denoting a commitment to justice and chivalry. Much like our law enforcement professionals today, those knights – when they were bestowed with the title – were often required to swear an oath to protect the weak or defenseless and to fight for the general welfare of all citizens in their jurisdiction or area of responsibility.
As time passed, clothing and equipment evolved. The shield grew into impracticality but the symbolism of it didn’t. It still represented that commitment to peace and justice within a jurisdiction; to protection and assistance of the citizens. It was the original symbol of “Protect & Serve.”
Throughout documented history, man has been predominantly right handed. Roughly 92% of the population is right handed. That means that our weapons were most often carried on the right side and used with the right hand. So… the shield was most often carried on the left. That make sense because as the shield shrank its mission didn’t: to protect the person carrying it and our major organs – most importantly our heart – is slightly left of center in our bodies.
What was the result? The shield – the symbol of law enforcement and a dedication to the protection of citizens in support of peace and justice – being worn on the left side of the chest. Being worn “over the heart” is meant as a reminder to the officer wearing it of his or her commitment to protecting and serving a given population.
So, when you think about it, every person in history who has carried a shield to protect a city up through the contemporary police officer who protects and serves a given jurisdiction is a member of the Left Chest Society. The Left Chest Society includes all who wear that badge as a symbol of their commitment to keeping the peace, protecting the innocent, weak or defenseless and to maintaining a higher quality of life.
Honor Line apparel created a line of t-shirts, fleeces, hoodies and hats to recognize all members of the Left Chest Society. With a plethora of unique designs (see their catalog online), Honor Line recognizes the knight / peace keeper / warrior in every one of today’s law enforcement professionals and the “family history” that precedes them. Honor Line recognizes that the men and women serving in law enforcement today are the modern versions of knights and paladins who protected the walls and all living inside them.
As is true of every officer who has ever served, Honor Line – started, owned and operated by a veteran law enforcement officer – is acutely aware of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of their commitment to protecting and serving. Because of that, a portion of each sale is donated to the Concerns of Police Survivors or C.O.P.S. C.O.P.S. is an organization that supports the surviving family members of those officers killed in the line of duty.
Keeping all that in mind, visit Honor Line online or, if you’re going to be at Police Week in Washington D.C., find Honor Line in Tent City and pick up a few of their items. If you’re a member of the Left Chest Society, display your pride in that and proudly display your commitment by wearing some of their apparel.
