Synonymous with each other, military members and law enforcement officers have much in common, and an affinity for ink is no exception. Traditionally on Leave, members of the armed forces often bounce around town, throw back some brewed beer or potent alcohol…and use the numbing factor while a tattoo artist’s needle pigments flesh.
Cops do also, and “achieving sleeve” has become a relative norm for men and women when the uniforms are at the cleaners.
But does society accept when its police officers show-up on a call and have exposed artwork extending down arms or, for department’s with climate affording uniform shorts, on calves…if at all?
Municipal police officer in New York sports a full-round sleeve while in uniform and in a patrol cruiser. (Credit: Tatted Cops)
My agency didn’t have much to say about the matter…until police executives received a complaint from a citizen who thought the display was “gross” (I believe that was the exact descriptor in the official complaint letter).
Colleagues and I laughed and chatted about the next “design.” Police command staff discussed what would not be permitted for “open display” and, hence, what must be covered by the uniform. Designs deemed “offensive” were contended on a case-by-case basis.
Although appearing in a generally-covered part of the body, a design such as this, if exposed for all to see, would meet certain censure by police command staff. (Credit: Tatted Cops)
Anything otherwise was off-limits whereby officers had to do whatever was necessary to conceal body art, despite Florida’s often-grueling blistering temperatures. But who gets to define what is appropriate and what must be censored art?
The Great Falls, Montana police department tattoo policy spells it out: “Applicants considering employment are to be aware that this policy will have a direct impact on eligibility for hiring. Tattoos or body art displaying the following are prohibited at all times: racism; sexism or sexually suggestive or explicit; obscenity or profane; gang or drug related; undermining City or department values; political in nature. Officers hired are prohibited from having tattoos visible on arms below the elbow or anywhere on their legs while on duty.”
“Officers hired are prohibited from having tattoos visible on arms below the elbow or anywhere on their legs while on duty.”
So GFPD explicitly describes what types of tattoo designs are barring mechanisms for employment as a cop. What about locations on the body? Department policy stipulates, “Tattoos on the following body areas are prohibited from view while on duty, and shall be covered at all times: neck; head; face; ears; hands and fingers.” Generally, those areas are common among MS-13 gangsters, not police officers.
And it is not just tattoos but also body art such as body piercing and “disfigurements” (yes, that is what they wrote into their policy), delineating “Body piercing and intentional (decorative) disfigurement are prohibited from view. All piercings and intentional decorative disfigurements shall be covered while the staff member is on duty. Note: There are exceptions for female police officers who may wear pierced earrings of modest design and does not violate more specific department policy as written.”
Some law enforcement agencies are rather strict with respect to their cops exposing any tattoos anywhere on the body anytime on-duty.
The Maine State Police (MSP) tattoo regulations stipulate that, “Tattoos, brands, body piercings and other body art shall not be visible while a member is in uniform or other business attire. The uniform includes a short sleeve shirt open at the front of the neck. If tattoos, brands, body piercings and other body art are visible while wearing the short sleeve summer uniform, the member must wear a long sleeve uniform and tie throughout the year. In addition to visibility, some tattoos or brands may have symbolic meanings that are inconsistent with the values of the Maine State Police.”
And Maine State Police candidates donning tattoos can opt for physical surgical removal if MSP recruiters deem it necessary. Refusal results in “No police job for you!”
And Maine State Police candidates donning tattoos can opt for physical surgical removal if MSP recruiters deem it necessary. Refusal results in “No police job for you!”
In violation before you’re even hired? Yes. MSP spells it out crystal-clear: “Candidates will be screened during processing at which time a determination will be made as to whether an applicant is in violation of the policy. If a candidate is found to be in violation then that person will have the option of having the tattoo or the visible portion thereof, removed at their own expense. If a candidate expresses a willingness to have this done, their application will be placed on hold until the process is completed.”
Years ago, I discovered a tattoo-removal quote of $3000./square-inch. Yeah, I bought a new car instead.
Years ago, I discovered a tattoo-removal quote of $3000./square-inch. Yeah, I bought a new car instead.
Have no animosity, though. Maine State police personnel are thrown a bone: “While on duty, members are allowed to wear a watch and a wedding band.” Timely token gesture, I suppose.
Nevertheless, officer-safety principles suggest not wearing anything which may become a hook or object to which a bad guy can attach and use against you. You could always see the farmer’s tan on my ring-finger, but I left nothing for any suspect to latch. My wristwatch was always a break-away, lightweight Velcro-band.
A PoliceOne.com article relates a bittersweet and somewhat poignant story related to our particular discussion. Candidly shared by her directly, Paint Borough Police Department (PBPD) Sgt. Maria D. Holcomb relates the details how she and her police chief husband donned tattoos, and how he took his own life. Her husband’s final act prompted Sgt. Holcomb to get new ink on the web of her hand; definitely a visible spot and one which, as a police officer, must be exposed (finger in the trigger-guard).
Sgt. Holcomb explains: “You see, I have two yellow rose buds on a single stem on the webbing of my hand between my thumb and forefinger. It represents my husband and I. Ever see two long stemmed roses on one stem? One represents me, one represents him. The single stem represents us becoming one. The positioning of this tat was because we held hands through life together. I was hired with it, and I’m still working with it.”
“I was hired with it, and I’m still working with it.”
As I continued reading the Op-Ed piece written by Sgt. Holcomb, she alludes to a hairpin turn taken by her police executive administration forbidding tattoos for its police force. She steadfastly supports her right to ink her persona.
Sgt. Holcomb elucidated it this way: “Should there be a regulation on what color eyes a person has too? My biggest issue here is that ink does not change who the person is. It doesn’t make them lesser people in society. How many men came home from WWI and WWII with ink and went on to be fine officers? Remember them all coming home with big old tats on their forearms?
“I didn’t change one bit when I got mine. I would refuse to have it removed. I had to live a life of hell after my husband’s death, and I’ll be damned if I have someone tell me to remove it,” Sgt. Holcomb attested. Her public letter’s salutation went like this, “Go ahead…make me” followed by “Surviving wife of Chief Terry E. Holcomb”
Perspectives By Design
Among the myriad material I discovered on our subject matter, varying perspectives exist. Some defer to “depends on the tat” stances. A tattoo of “Jesus wearing a duty belt” could offend someone, a friend opined. In Catholicism, that would be sacrilegious for both the wearer and certain viewers. Conversely, with a love of dogs among most people, a cop whose tattoo depicts his/her canine patrol partner may be more socially accepted.
(Credit: Tatted Cops)
A North Cape May, NJ cop says, “As long as the tattoo is not some vulgar or obscene depiction.” He hinted at our social fabric nowadays, opining, “Ironically, as we live in such a PC society where we can’t discriminate against any manner of lifestyle, even those that conflict with our religious views, for fear of disciplinary action. Now we are going to discriminate against those with a tattoo? It has nothing to do with professionalism.” Do you agree with his assessment?
Or do you agree with New York State Courts Sgt. Thomas M. Reilly who iterated, “I feel as long as they are not offensive or make a radical political statement that offends public sensibilities, they should be allowed. At the present time my agency has no expressed policy that prohibits body art.” And that is in criminal courts where plenty of tatted suspects shuffle-in covered with ink. I wonder what judges and spectators think when they see the two polar opposites, cops and crooks, adorned similarly.
“The public could wind up with the perception that you are a gangster with a badge. Remember, people’s perception is their reality!”
Officer Hugh McIntyre weighed-in with an argument based in public perception: “If you are coming into the Profession of Law Enforcement and you already have tattoos that are visible, your agency is already aware of them and has accepted that you have them. If you get them after you are on the street, then you should have the forethought to think of how it will not only make you look, but what about the rest of your peers. The public could wind up with the perception that you are a gangster with a badge. Remember, people’s perception is their reality!”
(Credit: Sweetwater Police Department)
That raises the case for tatted cops. Indeed, perception is reality at times. The walk-the-walk and talk-the-talk premises requisite in undercover police work, where infiltration of drug cartels, gangs, and any criminal syndicate whatsoever relies on fitting-in just like a carbon-copy…is essential to gain trust and garner rapport. Only then can UCs glean intelligence and make phenomenal cases, but they gotta look the part, and that includes tattoos.
So, are there exceptions for this caliber of police investigation? Do police command staff bend any tattoo policy to suit the agency’s needs? No, cops can’t fake it with make-up artist’s paint. Bad guys test new faces in the gang all the time, creating situations and deploying stunts to test the mettle of “a pledge.” Can’t have pigments simply smeared by the cold-steel barrel of a firearm wielded by a gang leader or drug-lord.
Free Speech?
A police officer commented on a thread regarding law enforcement officers’ rights to free speech by way of tattoo impressions publicizing expressions: “Officers…didn’t give up their First Amendment rights to free speech. Yes, Chief…a tattoo is another form of free speech. If Joe Dipstick can wear an American flag on his butt and get away with it as free speech, so can police officers…”
“Officers…didn’t give up their First Amendment rights to free speech. Yes, Chief…a tattoo is another form of free speech. If Joe Dipstick can wear an American flag on his butt and get away with it as free speech, so can police officers…”
Waldo County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Gary Boynton boasts, “I have five tats and I am proud of them. Three of them show when I have short sleeves on in the summer. I have had more comments from the public about how cool they are. I have NEVER received a bad comment about them.” Seems no one tried to quash his freedom of expression.
My sole tattoo experience became a spiritual dilemma when, with seven Brooklyn buddies celebrating a bachelor among us, I stayed out all night and went to get tattoos at sunrise. Budweiser plus fatigue equaled no pain. Until I got home.
My Roman-Catholic Italian mom saw the gauze wrapping around my bicep and exclaimed “What happened? Why didn’t you call me from the hospital?” I knew a come-to-Jesus episode was imminent. Well, it’s time to come clean! I thought as I unraveled the bacitracin-laden gauze to expose…a skull adorned with a crown.
Bango! I never even saw the wind-up.
There I was, an 18-year-old man getting a knuckle sandwich at the back of my cranium while hearing the angst-born words from my mom: “If God wanted you to have pictures on your body you’d have been born that way!” Well, now I know where my mom would stand if she were a police chief.
The hangover and the knuckle sandwich did not dance well together. I wrestled over which was challenging me more: cranium pain or hangover symptoms. Doesn’t matter; I came home branded and that is how life goes. Sometimes it is recorded permanently for times such as these, where I am a retired cop writing about tattoo policies for police officers.
Despite my department’s tattoo policy of “nothing below the elbow,” mine was always covered by my uniform’s short- sleeve length; essentially, a police patch concealed my tat.
Akin to Lt. Boynton’s experience as a tatted cop, rarely did my uniform sleeve hike enough whereby someone on scene saw and inquired “What is your tattoo of?” I obliged. And I, too, always received accolades.
Comparable to the ongoing Should police recruits have college degrees before they can apply debate, how many good cops are never given the opportunity because tattoo policies automatically disqualify them from the rite of passage?
Tatted-police policies engendering varying points of view encompassing police professionalism, social acceptance, free speech censorship, law enforcement executive whim (or kowtow), and undercover investigations literally championing cops with tats equate to pro/con dynamics. Some folks are headstrong while others are fully supportive of body art on police personnel.
If department rules/regs are our commandments and chain-of-command principles ensure application, then a tight corner remains.
By and large, I believe most of our society can generally wrap their head around tatted cops…except for my mom.
