From now on, the NYPD will be in charge of security — and shaving their beards.
The NYPD’s beard ban for officers is set to go into effect on June 17, with bearded officers returning to safety razors.
According to the Daily News, a police spokesman said the revised facial hair policy, first reported by The Post in February, applies to all police officers, school safety officers and traffic enforcement officers as part of a department-wide effort “to ensure that all uniformed personnel reflect the department’s high professional standards.”
New York’s Finest beard length will soon again be limited to just 1mm, the length of the tip of a sharpened pencil.
Part of the order states that beards remain taboo, as well as beards with brand names, patterns or logos shaved into them and “designer” beards.
The NYPD scaled back its beard restrictions in 2020 following a class-action lawsuit filed by Masood Saeed, a Muslim officer who was suspended for refusing to cut his beard to one inch, the department’s mandated maximum.
The case was settled in 2018.
The Police Benevolent Association told the news outlet on Thursday that determining whether officers with beards qualify for an exemption from the policy for medical or religious reasons would be too difficult to administer fairly, “which is one of the reasons the department changed its policy to no longer provide exemptions for beards.”
Mustaches and sideburns, a staple of NYPD’s face since the department was founded in 1845, will still be permitted, but with restrictions.
“Moustaches may not extend beyond or hang below the corners of an officer’s mouth, and sideburns may not extend lower than the bottom of the earlobes.”
The move follows a series of efforts by the NYPD to reform its behavior after top brass called for the department to roll back appearance standards for officers.
“My message to basically everybody in this room is we’re going back to the old-fashioned way of doing things,” Sergeant John Chell told police leaders at a February meeting, footage of which was obtained by The Washington Post.
“We’re trying to bring back some of the traditions that we’ve lost over the last few years.”
At the time, Chell also previewed some upcoming changes, including a crackdown on open collars and knitted hats.
