A Connecticut town council, in a controversial move, has voted against flying the Thin Blue Line flag to honor a state trooper who was killed last week in the line of duty.
Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier was performing a traffic stop on a state highway on May 30 when a car collided with him, his squad car, and the vehicle he had pulled over. The officer died at the scene.
Police later caught the driver, who had fled the scene after the collision.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont directed state flags to fly at half-mast to honor the officer.
In a post on X, the governor expressed his condolences to the fallen trooper’s family.
“I am directing U.S. and state flags in Connecticut lowered to half-staff effective immediately in honor of @CT_STATE_POLICE Trooper First Class Aaron Pelletier, who was killed today in the line of duty when he was struck by a motor vehicle on I-84 in Southington,” the governor wrote.
“This is devastating news and a tragic reminder about the dangers law enforcement face every day when they leave their homes and go to work.”
A meeting of the Wethersfield Town Council, however, saw several members reluctant to agree to a bid to also fly a Thin Blue Line flag in honor of the officer due to what they deemed an inappropriate connection to a response made to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests.
“That flag was either created or at least became prevalent in direct response to the Black Lives Matter protests. It’s viewed as antagonistic even if you don’t see it that way and I don’t think that’s a good flag to fly, especially not without further discussion,” Democratic Councilmember Emily Zambrello said.
Despite calls by Republican Councilmember Brianna Timbro noting that the Thin Blue Line existed long before BLM protests and being unrelated to the implied Police Lives Matter movement, the council voted against the motion by a vote of 5-3 with one abstention.
Police have arrested a 44-year-old man for the killing of Trooper Pelletier.
The charges against Alex Oyola-Sanchez include failure to renew registration, operating a motor vehicle without minimum insurance, failure to drive in proper lane, evading responsibility resulting in death, 2nd-degree manslaughter with a motor vehicle, and operating while intoxicated.
NTD has reached out to Wethersfield Town Council for further comment but did not receive a reply before press time.