Police brass split hairs over beards

[Apollo8138]

All accused criminals have the right to remain silent. But many South Florida cops lack the right to become hairy.

Pembroke Pines this week relaxed its facial hair policy a bit. But don't expect Pines officers to become hippies.

Santa beards and handlebar mustaches? No. Goatees? Yes.

In a growing number of South Florida police departments, officers are demanding they be allowed to grow beards. But many major departments -- including Fort Lauderdale, Miami-Dade, Miami and the Broward Sheriff's Office -- still ban most facial hair, other than mustaches.

And where beards are allowed, officers must follow correct procedure for growing it.

''A letter of intent must be submitted by the member of his intent to grow facial hair,'' the Pines policy states. ``The facial hair must be developed while on vacation or otherwise away from the Department. Members will not be permitted to maintain shabby appearances as a result of a simple failure to shave.''

The Florida Department of Corrections has a new policy banning goatees, and state corrections officers are miffed.

A union official met on Friday with Secretary of Corrections James McDonough about the ban, announced earlier this month. McDonough said he'd look into it.

A state union office has been flooded with calls from angry, bearded prison guards who say managers are violating their union contract by unilaterally banning goatees.

''I've had umpteen phone calls from everybody across the state -- Miami to Pensacola to Jacksonville,'' said Al Shopp, Florida Police Benevolent Association director, estimating the outcry at 100 calls or e-mails a day. ``If you allow a beard and mustache and sideburns, why not a goatee?''

But senior managers felt there were too many variations.

'ALL OVER THE PLACE'

''It was going all over the place: Fu Manchus, goatees, a tiny beard along the jawline one week, next week he wouldn't,'' said Department of Corrections spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff.

The frequent change in appearance posed a security challenge because each time an officer altered his hair style, he needed a new identification card, Shopp said McDonough told him.

During the past 10 years, officers have raised the facial-hair issue across the country, said Ron York, president of PolicePay.Net, which helps unions negotiate contracts.

''I see it as a petty issue,'' said York, who confesses to being bald. ``But I'm sure the guy who wants a little beatnik goatee doesn't see it that way.''

But no goatees for the officers in the bohemian enclave of Miami Beach.

''No goatees, no Fu Manchus,'' said Bobby Hernandez, a Beach police spokesman. ``We have a very strict uniform policy. There are guys who are upset about it.''

Some departments say the cleanshaven look is more professional and that some folks are suspicious of men with beards.

''Good heavens. It's a stereotype,'' said Wilton Manors Officer David Jones, who sports a full beard. ``It's like seeing a guy riding a Harley-Davidson. All of a sudden he's an outlaw? It's crazy.''

Wilton Manors Chief Richard Perez sees no problems with well-trimmed facial hair.

''The times, they are a-changing,'' Perez said. ``There's people out there with beards, tattoos, everything.''

Officers also can wear beards in Hollywood and Margate.

Miramar officers squabbled with a short-lived chief about beards in the late '90s, but now they are permitted.

In Fort Lauderdale, officers once sued -- but not successfully -- to wear beards.

Beard bans usually include exceptions for undercover or plainclothes officers or for anyone with a skin condition.

WANTED MORE HAIR

In Pembroke Pines, officers already were permitted to wear mustaches, but they wanted to grow more hair. Cleanshaven Chief Dan Giustino resisted.

So the Broward PBA negotiated to add a facial-hair policy to the union contract, which the City Commission approved Wednesday.

The chief ''is willing to give it a try as a pilot program,'' said his spokesman, Sgt. John Jacob. ``He's a traditional, cleanshaven guy himself. He wanted that same representation.''

Source

[phantasm]

NYPD no beards, only mustache if "clean and neat in appearance" unless you are primarily in plain clothes.

[CPDlife4ME]

NYPD no beards, only mustache if "clean and neat in appearance" unless you are primarily in plain clothes.

same policies at PDs around here...










i love my goat :mad: :D

[Hop]

Wear anything you want here as long as your hair is off your collar (men) and no offensive visible tattoos, not more than two sets of earrings (female, no earrings visible men).

[Creeker]

Pretty miniscule thing to get worked up over, if you ask me.

There are more important battles to fight with employers than this... like a LE Bill of Rights, better pay and insurance and sick or injured benefits.

[matt87]

Personally I think goatee's don't really look good on a cop.

[Valor55]

Facial hair isn't a good idea if you might have to wear a gas mask. It's hard to get and maintain a good seal. Even a goatee isn't a good idea.

Beyond that it starts messing with uniformity.

[retdetsgt]

Facial hair isn't a good idea if you might have to wear a gas mask. It's hard to get and maintain a good seal. Even a goatee isn't a good idea.

Beyond that it starts messing with uniformity.

Few officers will ever wear a gas mask in their career anyway. Usually only special teams.

When I came on, we had to have military type haircuts and only allowed trimmed moustaches. Then a chief allowed hair over the ears, but not over the collar to conform with the hair styles of the 70's. The next chief went back to military restrictions. Then one allowed beards not longer than 1/2" and neatly trimmed.

Frankly, I didn't see it affect police work one iota either way. And as far as appearance, some of the people with beards looked sharp and clean shaved looked like slobs. Personally, I don't think facial hair itself is important one way or the other. I've seen people who could get a fresh haircut, shave, put on a $3,000 tuxedo and still look like a bum.

And it doesn't mess with uniformity anymore than short and tall officers, male and female officers, etc. The last time I saw real uniformity was when we were all male, almost all white and all over 5'10"....

[Valor55]

Few officers will ever wear a gas mask in their career anyway. Usually only special teams.

Few officers will ever shoot their guns in the line of duty either but we still carry them and maintain proficiency.

We utilize gas masks quite frequently here when we use "Clear Out" to get someone out of hiding in an attic or hotel room. We've also had a few crowd situations which we have used pepper foggers and other chemical munitions. It doesn't take a riot or hazmat situation to use it and an officer who becomes incapacitated because they can't get a good fit is a liability to everyone else there.

[michiganstud]

Mustache's only here. Firm! I wouldn't mind a gotee- but I don't think they look professional. But then again, i'm a traditional uniform appearance nazi.

[mobrien316]

I have had a goatee for years and in my opinion I look a lot more professional in uniform than many other officers who are clean-shaven.

[retdetsgt]

We utilize gas masks quite frequently here when we use "Clear Out" to get someone out of hiding in an attic or hotel room. We've also had a few crowd situations which we have used pepper foggers and other chemical munitions. It doesn't take a riot or hazmat situation to use it and an officer who becomes incapacitated because they can't get a good fit is a liability to everyone else there.

We never carry them. I don't imagine most of our officers have seen one. We call out specialized teams when something like that is required.

We also never use pepper foggers either on crowds. We use horses and night sticks.:D

In your situation, yeah, I can see it. But not in ours. Even when we've allowed full beards, it's never caused a problem. Ironically, the only time I couldn't grow one was when I worked drugs because I was using SCBA's tearing down drug labs.

[Valor55]

In your situation, yeah, I can see it. But not in ours. Even when we've allowed full beards, it's never caused a problem. Ironically, the only time I couldn't grow one was when I worked drugs because I was using SCBA's tearing down drug labs.

A beard would have interfered with the seal in your SCBA equipment. As it interferes with gas masks for the same reason.

I've noticed that post 9-11 has many departments gearing up their officers and preparing with gas masks and chemical suits. You're a bit of a dinosaur in that in this area, I suspect LE has changed a lot in the last 5 years. Both departments I've worked for went from the old military M-17 masks that you were given and sat in the bottom of your closet, to high tech gas masks that you were expected to carry with you on duty. You can't just be given a mask now, you have to be "fit tested" yearly per OSHA standards on equipment that was once only for labs or specialized units. On the two departments I work for, and on the ones I visited and tested with post 9-11, gas masks are high tech, normal issued equipment that you are expected to have with you on patrol.

With the availability of this equipment with every officer it doesn't make sense to call out a specialized unit just to deploy chemical munitions. We are much more self sufficient with this equipment and we are expected to use it when we need it. The chemical munitions are on the street with supervisors and are deployed quite frequently since we are all equipped and trained to work in that environment now.

I'll grant that prior to 9-11 you are right. That equipment wasn't on the street and you weren't expected to need it or use it. A beard would be no big deal. These days however we are prepared for the worst and it has opened opportunities to deploy chemical munitions that we wouldn't have before. A beard would interfere with the equipment and our ability to function in what is now a fairly normal work environment, not a special circumstance.

[retdetsgt]

A beard would have interfered with the seal in your SCBA equipment. As it interferes with gas masks for the same reason.

Uh, yeah, I know. That's why I brought it up in my post..... And I wasn't arguing that it interfers with gas masks, of course it does. I was referring to the fact our officers aren't issued them as standard equipment, or at least weren't. You could be right since 9-11, but officers I've stayed in contact with have made no mention of it so I sort of doubt it. I can't speak for any other dept, but the cost of issuing personal gas masks to each of our officers would be prohibitive at this point. Perhaps yours is small enough to afford it, but with 1000 cops and at least 600-700 working uniform, that would be a lot of money to provide adequate masks. And buying something cheap would be worse than not issuing any at all. You sound like both depts you worked for issued some sort of mask, mine never has.

I won't argue post 9-11, but you were talking about facing crowds and clearing buildings, not terrorist attacks. Our people still don't use gas for either of those. We haven't used any form of gas bombs in 30 years, the collateral problems outweigh their usefulness. Our specialized teams use it for buildings only on high risk entries or barracaded felons. Obviously, your dept has different policies, that has nothing to do with me being a "dinosaur".

But again, I agree, if the people on your dept carry masks and they might be using them, they should prohibit beards. But IMO, that's the only real reason to. Otherwise, it has nothing to do with sharp appearance or effectiveness.

[DetSarg1]

I am of the opinion that facial hair other than a neatly trimed mustache just does not look good with a uniform.