15 Correction Officer Quotes For Thin Gray Line Workers

Here are 15 inspiring correction officer quotes to inspire the men and women doing the tough job of holding the thin gray line.

Sometimes it seems like correction officers get kind of forgotten in the whole talk of the thin blue line – but really, they’re an essential part of the whole system.

Sure, their “line” is the thin gray line, but I still consider them part of the blue line. Without them, after all, what are you suposed to do with the people who get arrested?

I am especially appreciative of the job correction officers do because that’s where my husband started in law enforcement.

I remember at first thinking that he would be safer, but then I realized… he’s surrounded by people who have already broken the law, not just people who potentially could break the law.

It became a whole lot scarier, then.

So as a former “gray line wife”, I wanted to add to my posts with quotes for those on the thin blue line with one specifically filled with inspiring correction officer quotes.

So whether you’re in search of a good quote to add to a card for your husband or use in fun police crafts for your correction officer, here are 15 correction officer quotes I hope will help both of you feel more appreciated!

15 Correction Officer Quotes For Those On The Thin Gray Line

“Only those with the highest character and integrity should be entrusted as a correctional officer.” – Rollin Cook, Utah Department of Corrections
“No job is more dangerous or more thankless than a correction officer.” -Unknown
“I rise before the sun. Rain or shine, hot or cold, I go where few will ever go. My day starts long before the sun will wake. As I enter these gates of barbed wife, I then walk among the worst of the worst – the ones society says can’t live among them. The one your children scream out in terror of. I am that thin gray line between you and them. Between right and wrong. But do not fear – for myself, my brothers, and my sisters, we will not falter, nor will we break. If that day ever came that I will have to give my life, I will hold my head high with no regrets as I run towards my God, because my time in hell is done. You may ask who I am, and I will answer: I am tired. I am unmentioned. I am not thought about. I am not always wanted. I am a correctional officer.” -Quinton Pittman
“Every time you train, train with the motivation and purpose that you will be the hardest person someone ever tries to kill.” -Tim Kennedy
“Every day, correction officers smile at the devil and walk into hell.” -Unknown
“Do what you can with all you have, wherever you are.” -Theodore Roosevelt
“In this family, no one fights alone.” -Unknown
“Evil is powerless if the good are unafraid.” -President Ronald Reagan
“We are the officers that are rarely regarded as being part of law enforcement. We are the ones who have to control ruthless, mean, and violent criminals without any weapons. In time, we too will be recognized for our necessary, if not glamorous, service.” -Unknown
“And maybe remind the few, if ill of us they speak, that we are all that stands between the monsters and the weak.” -Michael Mark
“Corrections: It’s the job of the police to remove a problem. It’s the job of the courts to solve the problem. It’s my job to keep it.” -Unknown
“Blessed are the peacekeepers, for they shall be called the children of God.” -Matthew 5:9
“Growing up, I wanted to be a police man, a fire man, and a paramedic. So I did it. I became a correction officer.” -Unknown
“Good people sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” -George Orwell
“We are correctional officers. We work at minimum, medium, and maximum security correctional facilities. We are empowered by the federal/state government to enforce its penal laws, rules, and regulations of the prisons. In short, we are police men. Our beat is totally inhabited by convicted felons who break laws, rules, and regulations. We are outnumbered by as many as 105 to 1 at various times of our workday, and, contrary to popular belief, we work without a sidearm. In short, our necks are on the line every minute of every day. We are law enforcement professionals. We are the forgotten cops. Hidden from public view, doing a dangerous beat, hoping to someday receive the the respect and appreciation from the public whom we silently serve.” -Unknown (but too good to leave out!)

Are you a gray line wife in search of more resources?

First, I want to make sure you know you’re welcome here! I created Love and Blues with the intention of supporting all law enforcement wives, not just patrol officers. We’re all in this together, and I think you’ll find a lot of good stuff here to help you.

You can get started by heading to my “about” page!

Looking for something more corrections specific? I get it!

Here are a few additional resources from around the web: