Tim embodied this idea of holding the thin blue line in this way,” said Chief Phillip Francisco of Bloomfield Police. Officer Ontiveros was shot last month during a traffic stop turned shootout.

In Nampa, there are multiple Thin Blue Line flags in government buildings, spokesperson Carmen Boeger said. Often, they take the form of wooden artwork, she said.

New flags representing the police and fire departments at the Williamsburg Safety Complex, pictured on May 15, went up in early May. The flags have since been removed after concern from some ...