By Joseph Sapia
Blue center lines on roads have become somewhat of a trend in recent weeks to show support for the women and men in blue, the law enforcement community.
“I think the purpose is to give people a reminder we’re supportive of the police, we appreciate all they do for us,” said Middletown Mayor Gerard P. Scharfenberger.
Township workers in Middletown painted a blue line in late October on Kings Highway. It goes from the area at the police station at Route 35 for about 2 miles to Red Hill Road.
Around Nov. 1, Holmdel workers painted a blue line on Crawfords Corner Road at the Town Hall-Police headquarters. It runs down Crawfords Corner Road for about a quarter-mile toward Holmdel High School, said Mayor Eric Hinds.
“Some other towns are doing it,” Hinds said. “We jumped on it. Show a little appreciation. I don’t know a worse year to be a police officer. We just wanted to show our support.”
The year has been marked by the shooting deaths of police officers in Dallas, Iowa, California, Alaska, Arizona, Louisiana, Michigan and Puerto Rico. More than 50 officers have been shot and killed this year around the country, according to the CNN television network.
“It’s a very difficult time to do this job,” said Middletown Police Detective Lt. Paul J. Bailey.
Middletown and Holmdel painted the blue line between the existing double-yellow lines.
At its Oct. 13 meeting, the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders passed a resolution, saying the board “strongly supports the symbolic painting of a Thin Blue Line in support of the law enforcement community” in the county.
“The Thin Blue Line is a universal symbol to law enforcement, used not only to commemorate fallen law enforcement but also to represent the shared commitment to all of those who choose to protect their communities every day,” according to the freeholders resolution.
The “Thin Blue Line” expression has been used to describe the police presence separating good from bad.
“We have to show the public and our youth how much we support law enforcement and what they do for us,” said Freeholder Director Thomas A. Arnone. “It’s the only way you’re going to see the respect to our law enforcement agencies they deserve.
“Here in Monmouth County, we totally, 100 percent, support our law enforcement agencies,” Arnone said.
“The police really appreciate it,” Scharfenberger said.
“I think it speaks very highly of the town we work for and the community we serve and protect that they would choose to do it,” Bailey said. “It’s a very nice gesture.”
“I think it shows support for law enforcement, which is a good thing,” said Holmdel Police Lt. Robert Philhower.
The line work was done as part of routine maintenance, Scharfenberger said. He said it should last awhile.
“I guess we’ll have to make a decision if we want to make it a permanent thing,” Scharfenbergers said.
Painting lines of different colors – green for St. Patrick’s Day and pink for breast cancer advocacy – seems to be a trend, Scharfenberger said.
