thedrifter
06-23-07, 07:38 AM
OrlandoSentinel.com
Are tattoos taboo? Cops raise a stink about ink
Orange is poised to order deputies to cover up, prompting calls to the union.
Henry Pierson Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
June 23, 2007
Ink's out, Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary says in a pending tattoo policy.
Ink's OK, counter the cops of South Florida.
A new generation of police recruits is making the old guard reel over what's appropriate and what's not when it comes to body art.
It's not just an issue in Florida -- police administrators from as far apart as Maine, Alaska and Hawaii are struggling with tattoo etiquette.
"Our department does not have a policy that restricts tattoos at this time, but it is something under discussion," said Capt. Frank Fujii, a Honolulu police spokesman.
In Orange County, worries about Beary's pending policy have prompted more than 100 deputies to call their union.
A draft copy of the policy shows that starting July 1, deputies must cover up any visible tattoos. Instead of being able to wear uniform shorts and short-sleeve shirts, they must wear pants and long-sleeve shirts year-round.
"We don't have a problem as long as they grandfather in our current deputies," said Deputy John Park, president of the Police Benevolent Association, who sports a black-cat tattoo on his right shoulder.
"We don't want someone to be a walking billboard from the elbows and knees down," Park said. "But for God's sake, body art is part of our society now."
Gone are the days of discreet military tattoos hidden by a short-sleeve shirt. Reds, yellows, blues and greens now explode from wrist to shoulder. Tribal patterns are so common, little surprises recruiters these days.
Down on South Beach -- home to the popular cable-TV reality show Miami Ink -- cops use their own judgment on what's appropriate skin decoration for a career in law enforcement.
The same is true across the causeway at the Miami-Dade Police Department, which doesn't prohibit tattoos either.
The only stipulation is that the tattoo design doesn't detract from the uniform, said Detective Nelda Fonticiella, Miami-Dade spokeswoman.
"We have a lot of officers that came from the armed services," she said. "It's very common for them to have tattoos."
But ink anxiety extends to the military as well.
The Leathernecks and teufel hunden of the U.S. Marine Corps now adhere to a "conservative personal appearance" model, according to USMC public affairs.
All current Marines must supply photographic documentation of their tattoos by July 1 to be "grandfathered in" under a policy prohibiting visible tattoos, especially full and half "sleeves" on the forearms.
The Army follows a similar policy that prohibits tattoos on the head and neck as well as any considered racist, sexist, obscene or gang-related.
In the civilian world, what's acceptable is in the eye of the employer, according to a case cited by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
"The federal district court noted that the few courts [that] have considered the issue have agreed that a tattoo is not a form of expression or speech that is protected by the First Amendment," according to last winter's issue of the IACP Policy Review.
"The city through its police chief has the right to promote . . . its police uniform as a symbol of neutral government authority, free from expressions of personal bent or bias."
In Central Florida, Lake County is the only sheriff's office already prohibiting visible tattoos.
Osceola and Seminole counties do not have tattoo policies. The Florida Highway Patrol joins Volusia and Polk counties in limiting visible tattoos to biceps and forearms.
"We didn't want there to be the potential for any misconceptions on the part of any member of the public by viewing a tattoo on any deputy that could be perceived as lewd or offensive like that in any way," said Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokesman Brandon Haught.
In other words, don't scare the tourists or taxpayers.
Whatever their position on tattoos, all local agencies draw the line at body piercing and modifying one's visible body parts.
FHP specifically prohibits "tongue splitting or bifurcation," if any trooper should wish to speak with a forked tongue.
The list of fashion don'ts includes abnormal shaping of ears, filing one's teeth into points, and wearing nose rings or tongue posts on duty.
Police agencies uniformly prohibit tattoos considered racist, sexist and obscene.
"Our recruiters actually brought it to our attention. It's kind of a generational thing," Orlando police Capt. Jeff Goeltz said of a pending policy that may prohibit visible tattoos for future employees. "We realize this is becoming an issue."
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420-5257 or hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com.
Ellie
Are tattoos taboo? Cops raise a stink about ink
Orange is poised to order deputies to cover up, prompting calls to the union.
Henry Pierson Curtis
Sentinel Staff Writer
June 23, 2007
Ink's out, Orange County Sheriff Kevin Beary says in a pending tattoo policy.
Ink's OK, counter the cops of South Florida.
A new generation of police recruits is making the old guard reel over what's appropriate and what's not when it comes to body art.
It's not just an issue in Florida -- police administrators from as far apart as Maine, Alaska and Hawaii are struggling with tattoo etiquette.
"Our department does not have a policy that restricts tattoos at this time, but it is something under discussion," said Capt. Frank Fujii, a Honolulu police spokesman.
In Orange County, worries about Beary's pending policy have prompted more than 100 deputies to call their union.
A draft copy of the policy shows that starting July 1, deputies must cover up any visible tattoos. Instead of being able to wear uniform shorts and short-sleeve shirts, they must wear pants and long-sleeve shirts year-round.
"We don't have a problem as long as they grandfather in our current deputies," said Deputy John Park, president of the Police Benevolent Association, who sports a black-cat tattoo on his right shoulder.
"We don't want someone to be a walking billboard from the elbows and knees down," Park said. "But for God's sake, body art is part of our society now."
Gone are the days of discreet military tattoos hidden by a short-sleeve shirt. Reds, yellows, blues and greens now explode from wrist to shoulder. Tribal patterns are so common, little surprises recruiters these days.
Down on South Beach -- home to the popular cable-TV reality show Miami Ink -- cops use their own judgment on what's appropriate skin decoration for a career in law enforcement.
The same is true across the causeway at the Miami-Dade Police Department, which doesn't prohibit tattoos either.
The only stipulation is that the tattoo design doesn't detract from the uniform, said Detective Nelda Fonticiella, Miami-Dade spokeswoman.
"We have a lot of officers that came from the armed services," she said. "It's very common for them to have tattoos."
But ink anxiety extends to the military as well.
The Leathernecks and teufel hunden of the U.S. Marine Corps now adhere to a "conservative personal appearance" model, according to USMC public affairs.
All current Marines must supply photographic documentation of their tattoos by July 1 to be "grandfathered in" under a policy prohibiting visible tattoos, especially full and half "sleeves" on the forearms.
The Army follows a similar policy that prohibits tattoos on the head and neck as well as any considered racist, sexist, obscene or gang-related.
In the civilian world, what's acceptable is in the eye of the employer, according to a case cited by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
"The federal district court noted that the few courts [that] have considered the issue have agreed that a tattoo is not a form of expression or speech that is protected by the First Amendment," according to last winter's issue of the IACP Policy Review.
"The city through its police chief has the right to promote . . . its police uniform as a symbol of neutral government authority, free from expressions of personal bent or bias."
In Central Florida, Lake County is the only sheriff's office already prohibiting visible tattoos.
Osceola and Seminole counties do not have tattoo policies. The Florida Highway Patrol joins Volusia and Polk counties in limiting visible tattoos to biceps and forearms.
"We didn't want there to be the potential for any misconceptions on the part of any member of the public by viewing a tattoo on any deputy that could be perceived as lewd or offensive like that in any way," said Volusia County Sheriff's Office spokesman Brandon Haught.
In other words, don't scare the tourists or taxpayers.
Whatever their position on tattoos, all local agencies draw the line at body piercing and modifying one's visible body parts.
FHP specifically prohibits "tongue splitting or bifurcation," if any trooper should wish to speak with a forked tongue.
The list of fashion don'ts includes abnormal shaping of ears, filing one's teeth into points, and wearing nose rings or tongue posts on duty.
Police agencies uniformly prohibit tattoos considered racist, sexist and obscene.
"Our recruiters actually brought it to our attention. It's kind of a generational thing," Orlando police Capt. Jeff Goeltz said of a pending policy that may prohibit visible tattoos for future employees. "We realize this is becoming an issue."
Henry Pierson Curtis can be reached at 407-420-5257 or hcurtis@orlandosentinel.com.
Ellie