Thin blue line thickens after murder charges for Tacoma police officers in Manuel Ellis’ death – By Patrick Malone (Seattle Times) / Aug 15 2021
Editor’s note: This story was reported in partnership with KNKX Public Radio. Listen to audio of a conversation with Times reporter Patrick Malone and KNKX’s Kari Plog.
In policing, “the thin blue line” stands for the duty of officers to preserve order.
But when unprecedented criminal charges were filed in May against three Tacoma officers in the on-duty killing of Manuel Ellis, the line thickened, leaving police and their supporters warily eyeing members of the Ellis family and their supporters from across a growing gap.
On the law enforcement side of the line, the day charges were announced, 105 of 353 active Tacoma police officers took the day off, nearly a third more than is normal for a Thursday.
Pierce County Sheriff Ed Troyer registered his displeasure with a snarky social media post. The owner of a Tacoma construction company posted $300,000 bail for the officers, in a show of support.
