Ohio Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee - 3-11-2026

Chair Manchester. Here.

Senator Johnson. Here.

Senator Mendez. Thank you.

Senator Warren. Here.

and recognize Vice Chair Brenner for a motion. Madam Chair, I move to favorably report Senate Bill 254 to the committee as on rules in reference and leave the voting rolls open at the chair's discretion.

Chair Manchester. Yes.

Senator Johnson? Yes.

Senator Orlando? Yes.

Senator O'Reilly? Yes.

Seeing none, I recognize Vice Chair Brenner for a motion. Madam Chair, I move that we recommend the governor's appointments to the committee on rules and reference and leave the voting rolls open to the chair's discretion.

Chair Manchester? Yes.

Senator Johnson? Yes.

Senator Landis? Yes.

Senator Moran? Yes.

Of course.

Thank you Good morning Good morning, and thank you for allowing me to come and speak to you today. This is something that I've been wanting to get approved for a very long time. Good morning to the Government Oversight and Reform Committee. Good morning, Chair Susan Manchester, Vice Chair Andrew Benner, Ranking Member Casey Weinstein, if I said that correctly. My name is Thomas Desario. Just a little bit about me. I am 100% disabled combat veteran from the Gulf War and the father of Chief Stephen Eric Deserio. On Friday, May 12, 2017, my son, Chief Eric Deserio, was called to a nursing home in Kirkersville, Ohio. Upon arrival, while exiting his vehicle, he was ambushed and shot in the back of the head. He was shot here, come out here. he was killed right in front of the nursing home and the murderer that shot and killed his girlfriend and another employee in the nursing home before killing himself along with this just a few months later the two officers in Westerville were murdered. And we have police officers, sheriffs, state troopers are killed and murdered every day. And there needs to be something that we can recognize these people with. They do a great service for the state of Ohio. At the time, Eric was 38, married to an amazing wife Erin they had five children and Erin was pregnant with the child that was born ten days after he was killed he will never see or hold his child and she will never get to meet him Eric always wanted to serve his country in any capacity available to him. It was that he was born to do. He could not serve his community in the military like his brother and sister did. So he joined the police force in 2011. He had asthma, so he could not pass the physical. At the funeral, I was presented with the American flag and the thin blue line flag. This is the American thin blue line flag. Come on. This is the flag that you cannot get anymore because I tried and I could not get it. This is what is competing with the Black Lives Matter. This is the one that everybody's looking at as propaganda. This is not the flag I was flying at my home. Never had and never will. This is the flag I've flown. I had been flying this flag for five years in my HOA, and on the anniversary of my son's death, they told me that I needed to take it down. And I tried to get them to let me keep it up. The HOA sent me a letter that the flag was illegal and all I wanted to do was represent my son honorably. He got the service medal for honor from the police force. He made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us and this was not a political statement. No way, shape, or form. Let me be abruptly clear I display the blue thin line flag for the sole purpose of remembrance of my son. And I believe that if anybody in here has a son or daughter that protecting our communities that if they were murdered in the line of duty you would want to fly that blue line American flag too. And it is flown right under the American flag. I had a four by six American flag on top, a three by five on the bottom. I was first refused to take down the American flag, or the American blue line flag. However, after a lengthy battle, I took it down in October 2022. I was forced to take it down because a judge told me I had to. I took this to court first, and they told me I needed to take it down due to the law of the HOHs in the state of Ohio telling us what we can do and what we can't do. I contacted State Representative Kevin D. Miller and asked him to help me add the thin blue line American flag to the list of protective flags in the state of Ohio. and that is why I stand before you today. Our officers put their lives on the line every single day. Much like the members of our military, when they sacrifice their lives for the betterment of the community, the families, friends, and fellow members of that community should be allowed to fly the American Thin Blue Line flag in their honor. I urge you to please add this flag to the list of flags that can be flown in the great state of Ohio. And thank you in advance for letting first responders know that you support them by passing this bill. Thank you for allowing me to come testify. I am more than happy to take any questions.

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