Police Chief Cracks Down on Tattoos

La policia de San Diego se "sensitiviza" (es una palabra??) a las preocupaciones de la ciudadania y ordena a sus oficiales a cubrir sus tatujaes... aun en verano.

Verano de California...


Police Chief Cracks Down on Tattoos

SAN DIEGO - The police chief in the nation's seventh-biggest city is cracking down on his own officers' tattoos.

Effective Wednesday, San Diego police officers with "excessive" body art must cover it up with long sleeves or turtlenecks while on the job. Hot summer temperatures won't be an excuse.

"For 37 years in this business, I have never worn anything but long-sleeve shirts with a tie. I think it's the way officers ought to look," said Chief William Lansdowne, who announced the policy in a long-sleeve shirt and a tie.

The new policy, outlined in a five-page memo, is expected to affect half a dozen of the department's more than 2,000 officers, police spokesman Dave Cohen said.

Lansdowne, who took over the department last year, said he believes San Diegans deserve a professional, well-groomed force. He said the new policy — which also covers piercings, branding and decorative scarring — will help project that image.

The rules say tattoos covering more than 30 percent of the exposed skin of a uniformed officer must go undercover. So must tattoos that rise above the collarbone and any tattoo depicting nudity, violence, or profanity. Ditto for racist tattoos, Nazi insignia, pentagrams and gang symbols.

Lip, eyebrow, tongue and nose piercings are out. Uniformed women get one earring per ear on duty (keep it in the earlobe, please). Men get none.

The head of the union representing San Diego police didn't object to the rules but said he had hoped officers who already have large tattoos would be exempted.

"We have officers that have military tattoos, that have flowers," said San Diego Police Officers' Association President Bill Farrar. "It's more prevalent now."

Other California police departments have similar regulations. Los Angeles requires officers to cover their tattoos. The New York Police Department, however, has no rules on the books specifically prohibiting tattoos.


Police Chief Cracks Down on Tattoos