NORFOLK — An update to the Norfolk Police Department’s uniform standards now allows officers to grow full beards and have visible tattoos while on duty.
The new policy is “indicative of the actions of a modern 21st Century law enforcement agency,” Police Chief Larry Boone said in a recent news release.
Boone said the move is about more than affording officers leeway in their individual appearance choice but also opens the field to a wider range of recruits.
“We will no longer allow these personal style choices to impede our hiring practices, which sometimes prevents the most qualified candidates from a career in public safety,” Boone said.
Once required to wear a sleeve over visible tattoos, law enforcement officers can now openly display body art under the updated policy so long as it isn’t “deemed extremist, indecent, sexist, or racist,” officials said.
Officers who choose to grow a beard are still required to maintain its length to less than one-quarter inch and keep it shaped and trimmed around the neckline.
Now, looking more like “everyday people,” officials said the agency’s standard change also positively impacts an officer’s position as a member of the community they serve.
“Our appearance in uniform may have changed, but our professionalism, performance, and expectation from the community have not,” Boone said. “The women and men of the Norfolk Police Department do amazing things daily, and our commitment to excellence will remain the same.”
