Beards, tattoos help to humanize police officers

In years past, many community members frowned upon police officers sporting beards or showing off their tattoos.These days, however, a lot of people, including various leaders of area departments, now smile when they see them.This contingent believes both beards and tattoos help to humanize those behind the badge, making uniformed personnel more approachable than ever before.Through charitable causes and civic competitions, dozens of area police officers fashion mustaches, goatees and beards during certain times, namely winter. Meanwhile, while on duty, they're also not as bashful about displaying their body art.During an era in which, nationwide, relations between police and community members are severely strained, local leaders continue to take outside-the-box approaches to build bonds, and thus creating trust, with the public. That ongoing initiative includes maintaining beards and exposing tattoos just as everyday citizens do."I support beards and tattoos because I fully believe people would be and are more relaxed and comfortable when speaking with us, and maybe they would approach us different than they do now because not everyone feels comfortable in speaking with the cops," said Perkins police Officer Justin Dority, who successfully lobbied his department to allow beards.Here's what law enforcement officials said about their polices on beards and tattoos: Norwalk police, with answers provided by Chief Mike Conney• Beard policy: "Beards are allowed and must be neatly trimmed and maintained at all times."• Tattoo policy: "The Norwalk Police Department discourages visible body art. Any tattoos visible on the outside of the prescribed uniform of the day are prohibited. An employee who has a visible tattoo must wear a dark-covered sleeve to cover any part of a tattoo that is visible outside the uniform."• The need for these policies: "Prior to 2017, we didn't allow beards. Our policy changed in 2017, as the city was celebrating its bicentennial, and this was a way to allow our officers to compete in a local beard competition that was part of the yearlong celebration. We received a lot of positive feedback from the community concerning the beards, and one sentiment that stuck out to me came from a citizen who said the beards 'humanized' our officers. Because of the positive feedback, we decided to change the policy to allow for beards. We still do not allow officers to have visible tattoos/body art. This policy has been in place for as long as I can remember, and it was probably created because tattoos/body art were not as socially acceptable when it was originally written."• The exemptions: "We may relax this policy in the future as tattoos/body art are more mainstream and accepted today."• The recruitment aspect: "I think this would be a possible solution to help recruit more officers. I teach in two local police academies and have noticed over the years that more and more cadets have visible tattoos/body art. Many of these cadets are prior military, and their tattoos/body art are just a part of their culture. People without tattoos/body seem to now be the exception and not the rule. I haven't found any of the cadets' tattoos to be objectionable or shocking to the conscience. The Norwalk Police Department is always looking to hire officers that love their community, have a servant's heart, are willing to sacrifice for others and, above all, possess strong ethics and character. We can train a person in the technical aspects of the job if they already have this foundation. If they have the foundation we are looking for and happen to have beards or visible tattoos/body art, then this is something we can work with."• The negative connotations: "I don't believe there would be any negative connotations associated with a neatly trimmed beard, an unkempt scraggly beard is another matter. Tattoos/body art that reveals bias or a discriminatory attitude would definitely have negative connotations; hopefully, this would be revealed during a background investigation."* * *Erie County Sheriff's Office, with answers provided by Sheriff Paul Sigsworth• Beard policy: "Our facial hair policy, historically, allowed for the wearing of mustaches, but beards were prohibited except for very rare situations involving a documented medical condition. For the last several months, well-trimmed, professional-looking beards have been authorized as a temporary, experimental exemption to our current personal appearance policy."• Tattoo policy: "Visible tattoos are authorized on both arms above the wrist line, provided that they are not obscene or offensive. Visible tattoos on any other area of the body that would be visible in uniform — head, neck, and hands except for tattoos that serve as a replacement for a wedding and/or engagement rings — are prohibited."• The need for these policies: "Public confidence is of paramount importance for an employee of a public safety agency to be able to effectively perform his/her duties. Many decades ago, as seen in historical photos, beards were routinely worn by law enforcement officers and were obviously accepted by the public that those officers served. Then, for several decades, beards and/or visible tattoos were frowned upon as a potential indicator of a lack of professionalism on the part of the officer and his/her agency. Within the past several years, however, visible tattoos and beards have become much more accepted by the public that we serve and are no longer an indication to our constituents that a law enforcement officer with a beard or visible tattoo — and only because of a beard of tattoo on his/her arm — may be unprofessional. What we have seen at our agency is that the public that we serve expects to be treated — and should be treated — courteously, fairly and professionally, and whether or not the deputy sheriff, corrections officer, communications officer or administrative assistant that the citizen has contact with has a beard or a tattoo is generally irrelevant to them. I have also heard comments that a law enforcement professional with a beard and/or visible tattoo may be more approachable and may seem more human to some members of the public that we interact with. Anything that helps to foster respectful interpersonal communication — the largest part of our job — should be, and is, welcomed."• The exemptions: "We haven't made any exemptions, as our employees are currently authorized to have well-trimmed, professionally appearing beards and visible tattoos throughout the year. Practically speaking, because of our climate, tattoos for those wearing the winter uniform are only visible less than six months out of the year anyway."• The possible change: "We will be considering a permanent change to that policy to allow for the wearing of beards year-round."• The recruitment aspect: "This is another reason for the change(s) in our policy(ies) as mentioned above. We have to make periodic changes to our policies, which are living documents, and subject to certain changes, just as technology and society's expectations of us also change. We don't want to lose the possibility of employing an excellent prospect solely because he/she may have a visible, non-offensive tattoo on the arm or may wish to wear a well-trimmed beard. Factually speaking, many of the visible tattoos that our employees have are directly related to their military service and are obviously not offensive. We definitely would not want to reject an applicant who has faithfully served our country in the military solely because he/she has a service-related tattoo that would be visible while wearing the summer uniform."• The negative connotations: "Under our current policy exemption, facial hair cannot be unkempt and must be well-trimmed and professional in appearance. Unkempt facial hair is not permitted because of its unprofessional appearance. In addition, visible tattoos are authorized unless they are offensive in nature as determined by the employer, in which case they could not be displayed, and we do not have any personnel with employees in that category."* * *Huron police, with answers provided by Bob Lippert:• Beard policy: "Members will be well-groomed and clean-shaven when reporting for duty. Hair will be kept clean and neatly trimmed, not touching the shirt collar or obscuring the ear. Hairstyles should facilitate the wearing of the uniform hat. Sideburns shall not extend past the center point of the ear; be any wider than 1.5 inches at the bottom; be conspicuous in manner and styling. Mustaches shall be neat and trimmed, not bushy; not extend down over the top edge of the upper lip; not extend down beyond the corners of the mouth."• Tattoo policy: "Tattoos are not permitted if they are offensive or obscene. Tattoos are judged on an individual basis. If they are deemed to be offensive or obscene, they will be covered."• The need for these policies: "To maintain a professional appearance in uniform while serving the public, translating to a positive view of officers from the public. Public perception of beards and tattoos have changed over the years. Now they are not as negatively viewed as they once were, however, we still have to maintain a professional appearance and bearing while in uniform. Personally and professionally I think that overall beards and certain tattoos do not lend themselves well to that professional appearance."• The exemptions: "Beards are allowed during the months of November and December. Officers donate for the right to not have to shave, and the money is given to a local family in need for Christmas."• The possible change: "At this time, no considerations are being made to change this policy."• The recruitment aspect: "It may attract more individuals to the field, however, at this time, I am not considering changing the policy to attract more candidates. We gave a test for a full-time position two years ago, and every candidate was clean-shaven with few tattoos. I think you have to adapt policy to changing times, and I am willing to do that with most policies, however, I don't think the policy of clean-shaven faces and tasteful tattoos is the main reason the numbers of recruits to the law enforcement profession is down."• The negative connotations: "Like it or not, a police officer is judged on his/her appearance. This has been true for many years and will remain true for many years to come. While in uniform, you represent the community you serve and the agency that employs you, therefore, the individuality expressed by beards and certain tattoos have no place in the profession. Respect is earned, and like it or not, your appearance plays a part in earning respect."ConneyErie County sheriff Deputy Cody Webb takes his K-9 partner, Max, through a training drill at the Sandusky Mall in Perkins Township on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. The department allows its personnel, including deputies, such as Webb, to wear beards so long as they're well-kept and maintained.Erie County sheriff Deputy Dan Orzech takes his K-9 partner, Max, through a training drill at the Sandusky Mall in Perkins Township on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018. The department allows its personnel, including deputies, such as Orzech, to wear beards so long as they're well-kept and maintained.