By Elaine Van Develde

You may have seen them popping up all around the Rumson-Fair Haven area — blue signs of support for local police.

The solemn show — blue ribbons, blue lights, blue anything peppering the area — has been dubbed the Sea of Blue Ribbons campaign.

And it continues through Dec. 31.

Sea of Blue was initiated as a measure of gratitude and honor for police protecting and serving after NYPD officers Rafael Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Liu, 32, were shot and killed in Brooklyn while sitting in their patrol car.

The targeted ambush, allegedly at the hands of Ismaaiyl Brinsley, came on the heels of several weeks worth of protests against police protocol in light of grand jury decisions to not indict the officers whose confrontations with Eric Garner, Staten Island, NY, and Michael Brown, Furguson, Mo., resulted in their deaths.

Retired Fair Haven Police Captain Paul McCue was contacted about the campaign through Facebook and shared its details with residents on the Fair Haven page.

“You simply place a blue ribbon outside your home or on your car … or a blue light in your window to show your support for your police department,” McCue said in his post. “… It’s a terribly tough time to be a cop in the U.S.. I wore the uniform and can say unequivocally that now our local police need a show of support more than ever. It could be a simple gesture like a smile, a wave or a thank you. It could be a letter from your local First Aid Squad (thanks for the tag Katy ) or it could be something as simple as a blue ribbon.”

According to the campaign’s page, one officer’s life is lost every 58 hours in the line of duty.

So, as McCue shared, the blue gesture is a simple one. It is meant only to say to those who serve that “we love you, we support you and please come home safely,” the campaign page said.

“Put it on your mailbox, deck rail, tree, etc. Many will be working on Christmas eve and Christmas Day, missing special moments with their children. They will be there for you when called. Please show our officers in blue how much we RESPECT and APPRECIATE their service and sacrifice.”

The Fair Haven First Aid Squad reminded all, in a letter posted on the Fair Haven PBA Facebook page, that police are the first responders in an emergency and how integral that role is.

“While some citizens may be aware that police officers are indeed the first responders in our town, they may not truly understand what that means,” the letter said. “FHPD police officers do far more than protect us at emergency scenes; they frankly are an essential link in the chain of care that our residents and business owners receive when needing help …

“Organizationally, to residents, the police department and first aid squad may seem to be different entities, but to the eyes of a person in need, what they see is a team.”