BRENHAM POLICE OFFICERS NOW ALLOWED TO HAVE FACIAL HAIR, TATTOOS
POLICE DEPARTMENT'S POLICY MANUAL NOW ONLINE FOR PUBLIC VIEWING
Residents may notice a different appearance year-round for some members of the Brenham Police Department.
(courtesy Brenham Police Dept.)
Beards, goatees and tattoos are now authorized by the Brenham Police Department, as long as they are maintained to department standards and policies.
Historically, the department has only allowed officers to grow out facial hair in November as part of a fundraiser for Adam’s Angels Ministry. The department says it will continue to support that cause.
According to a release from the police department, a factor for the decision involved the personnel recruiting process. Recruiters shared feedback from recent job applicants that stated the option to have facial hair and tattoos meant a lot to them when considering which agency to join. Research by city staff of other agencies across Texas revealed many of them allowed these options and had positive community support.
Brenham Police Chief Ron Parker appealed to the department’s Citizens Advisory Board and the Brenham City Council to receive approval to implement the new options, along with policies to keep them appropriate.
The department has also posted its policy manual online for public view. The manual can be found on the City of Brenham website, under the Brenham Police Department subsection. It can also be seen here.
To the Old Timer clutching his pearls with disdain, you think your son is “lacking character” because of his personal choices of self expression that harms absolutely NO ONE? Why judge how one is to express themselves? By denying someone of a job who is perfectly qualified but has tattoos is unjust. Would you turn down a doctor or a paramedic just because they had tattoos? Is their character lacking as well? Accept the fact that people who are inked are still the same person and they should not be treated differently in the work place or anywhere for that matter. Keep up with the times and fast changing society. We express ourselves differently than previous generations. We are not less than you nor should we lack respect.
Excellent point.
Well done.
Definitely not unprofessional as long as it’s clean! In many places of employment this has been acceptable and its good Brenham is catching up…10+ years later.
Coming from a retired Police Officer here I think this is so unprofessional!!
Totally with you on this. I guess the New applicants are not qualifying because of this reason. …My son is proud of his sleeve. I don’t like it for men or women. I think it’s a lack of character and they are reaching out for attention.
There is nothing wrong with tattoos.
Ever heard of Popeye the Sailor Man???
It can be the choice of the tattoos or the placement of them.
Can the person do the job?
That should be the reason to hire or not. Facial hair or tattoos is a poor excuse to deny a qualified candidate.
Get with times folks.
This is 2022, not 1962.
FJ, as a person who entered the policing profession in 1984 and with almost 40 years of experience in several departments and at various ranks from officer, detective, sergeant, lieutenant, assistant chief and chief, I never thought this would have ever occurred. But, as you well know, the profession has changed immensely over the decades. I am certain our field training officers and supervisors, who started in the 60’s and 70’s, thought we were creating unwanted change when we started as well. But, research by the DOJ, TPCA, IPCA and universities has shown beyond a doubt that the millennials and Gen-Xers are the current potential recruit pool, and this is what they desire if they truly want to be a public safety officer, or in simpler terms, a cop. Our own internal survey was overwhelmingly in favor of this. There were expressions of concern from our Citizens Advisory Board but in the end, I am five police officers short and desperately looking for new recruits. They won’t come to BPD when they can go to other department that allow this change. Again, I highly respect your opinion and in some ways, agree with you. But change happens, whether we agree with it or disagree. The profession is evolving, in many different ways. I can remember when there was discussion of Citizens on Patrol, volunteers in the PD, Citizens Police Academies, and other partnerships with the community, transparency attempts, Citizen Advisory Boards, etc. and we thought, “never in a million years”. But here they are. By the way, thank you for your service. – Ron Parker, chief of police, BPD
I agree with you, if you are pulled over by a Texas Trooper and the trooper exits his unit with a beard and ink visible you should probably drive off and call 911 because you know this physical appearance is not normal.
I love this!!