Bearded Police Officers in Houston

I would have to side with the bearded police officers on this one Mr. Trump. Although I can understand the point about looking professional, regardless of your profession, if having a beard does not affect the officer's roles as members of the police force then they shouldn't be asked to remove it.

I personally look a lot younger without some facial hair and thus some clients do not take me seriously as a younger looking person. I have began the practice of letting my beard grow out for a day before booking my next client appointment.

If having a beard does not directly contribute as a disadvantage to your work or if it's not a safety issue then it should be your own choice whether to shave or not.

Regards,

Peter Wallhead.

I have always liked a man with a beard and do not feel that a properly cared for beard takes away from a professional appearance. In fact, it makes a man look wise and honorable.

This is a really funny post by Mr Trump. Taking both sides into account, i think that Mr Trump has strong enough reason to say that people should be clean shaven and concur to the 'code of dress'. However, this is a rather narrow minded perspective on Mr Trump's part. Every job is unique, and every job will have it's outstanding requirements for success. Success as a police officer, or anything else for that matter, does not always come with a clean-shaven face. Of course, it depends on which part of the hierarchy you're in in the service. You won't see the superintendent of police spotting a huge beard. But hey, that's where Mr Trump is right. People 'at the top' of the hierarchy in the police service have to look professional and neat. But does that apply to all the other parts of the ladder as well? The city council is right, but exceptions will definitely be a plus point to increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the police service as a whole.

Alexchious

http://TheBillionaireJournal.wordpress.com

I just love it when I see the title of an article and say to myself, "This has got to be something Donald would write about." Then when I open the link, sure enough, I found my instinct to be correct; Mr. Trump wrote the article.

I am split on this one. Remember the day when cops wore those thick mustaches? A lot of people had them pegged out of uniform because of their mustashes. There are so many different facial hair styles now a days that I have to say they should not stand out if they were clean shaven unless they are undercover cops.

Though it is sort of a civil rights thang, bankers do not come to work in blue collared shirts and blue jeans. and construction workers don't go to their jobs dawning formal evening wear. Gym teachers get to wear gym clothes, but other teachers have to wear ties. If it is becausea medical reason say in the case of shoes, and emplyee would get a doctor's not to always be allowed to wear say sneakers. So if there is a legitimate health issue that prevents these officers from being clean shaven, they should file an American Disability Act claim. But If the officers just want to press a facial hair issue for the sake of civil rights, they should have chose a different profession.

Personally, I do not mind the goatee or beard as long as it is precisely trimmed and clean cut. That can still have a professional and in some cases an appealing look. (They might get subliminal respect from their tougher clientele.) I think they could strike a balance if the beards looked sharp.

I side with Mr. Trump and the City Council on this. Having a clean sharp look makes an imistakably powerful first impression, especially when, in this partucular case, is imperitive when authority and respect is absolutely necessary. Law officers deal with a huge range of situations. Commanding authority of the givin situation is first on their list. This is not a fashion issue.

Facial hair also make it more difficult to create a seal on gas masks and scuba masks, snag helmet straps, and other face gear that officers are required to wear in line of duty. This means it WILL affect their ability to participate in emergency situations when they are truely required to step up. Being ex-US Navy myself, you dont have time to go shave when you have to dawn a gas mask to fight a fire and save your buddys dupah. The Navy did away with beards a while ago for these very reasons; and they were the only service brance to ever allow beards. That alone should say something.

In the advent of those undercover officers, where they mix and mingle with underworld, they are always allowerd to dress and look the part, there are always exceptions made, so this is not an issuue.

The Police should take the $150,000.00 and bonus in-good-standing local tax paying real estate owners a resident kickback as a local stimulus and concentrate on their chosen profession of crime prevention.

I love the Donald, but on this issue he is as wrong as the day is long as Rosie is unattractive.

He and my father both have this dislike of facial hair, and they are both wrong. This is tough to say because my dad, lord love him, will be the first person to remind you that he is never wrong.

I understand that the Taliban/Al Queda look does not conjure up positive feelings, but should we go around harassing Orthodox Chasidic Jews or rock group ZZ Top?

I am in the financial services industry, and it is bad enough that I cannot have long hair. The goatee is staying.

Nevertheless, I do take much of Mr. Trump's advice. He does have an excellent collection of neckties, one of which I am wearing today. Besides, people admire the tie so much that they get distracted from the goatee.

Respectfully,

eric aka the Tygrrrr Express
http://www.tygrrrrexpress.com

P.S. Mr. Trump, by blog has moved. Please make the change on your computer to reflect the new address listed. My radio show on Blogtalkradio is up and running. I will contact your booking agent when time allows.

What does the Police Union have to say about this?
Could this prejudice be personally motivated?
What happened to prompt this change?
Do the Police Officers get to vote on this restriction?
How many years have there been bearded Police Officers in the Houston P.D.?
Is having a beard violating any laws?
How will this change affect the crime rate?
Is this change for medical reasons?

As long as individuals keep allowing their freedom to be taken away without their consent they are nothing more than slaves without a vote. Slavery is not about the color of your skin, or whether you prefer a beard or not. It is about not having a choice to live in peace enjoying a lawful existence.
How is having a beard harming society?

When a police officer goes undercover they need to blend in, being undercover is very stressful and difficult. The criminals are always suspicious and looking for any signs that someone is a cop. It may seem odd but not having facial hair could make the difference between life and death. (Read the book "Under and Alone".)

Mr. Trump's post mingles several different ideas. I believe it's useful to look at each idea separately:

1. Undercover police officers who are too obviously "clean cut" might be at greater risk of being exposed as law enforcement, rather than accepted into the groups of criminals they're trying to infiltrate.

I'm surprised that Mr. Trump didn't make any acknowledgment of whether this might be a valid concern for the personal safety of officers involved in public safety activities.

2. Some people have skin conditions that are made worse by having to shave. In less than a minute, I used Google to locate a BBC news article on the lawsuit. This article gave the name of the condition, pseudofolliculitis barbae, and mentioned that the lawsuit claims over a hundred officers in the Houston force are afflicted with it.

Another minute on Google searching for the name of the condition brought me to http://aocd.org/skin/dermatologic_diseases/pseudofolliculitis.html, the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. I'm not familiar with AOCD, but they appear to be a valid medical organization, rather than agitators for social change at the cost of all standards of social conduct. AOCD reports that this skin condition causes pain, inflammation, and scarring if people suffering from the condition attempt to remain clean shaven.

The police officers with this condition are not asking to be free of any appearance standards. The officers in the lawsuit wear goatees, which typically require maintenance to be kept neat. I'm surprised that Mr. Trump didn't acknowledge that this might be a valid medical disorder, causing difficult symptoms which are present whether or not the sufferer has a positive attitude. I'm also surprised that Mr. Trump didn't acknowledge that the officers are not requesting total freedom to be as bushy as they happen to like, but merely ask that neatly maintained goatees or beards be accepted within the dress code IF moderate facial hair is medically necessary.

From point # 1, it's apparent that even IF officers providing the "public face" of the department must have that face be clean-shaven, there are undercover positions for which facial hair would not be a detriment.

3. Mr. Trump points out that in our current society, the standard business uniform for men is a business suit. He points out that people who wish to be considered for the value of their ideas and deals are best served by wearing a suit. Wearing something other than a business suit is a signal that a person is ready for an activity other than getting down to business.

I agree, however, there is nothing from the Houston lawsuit regarding any concern about clothing. The concern of the lawsuit is only about one issue: whether standards that impose pain on those with medical conditions should have any degree of flexibility - particularly when there are work activities that can be done by those whose condition is accommodated.

The officers involved don't "happen to have a lot of facial hair." They happen to have a medical disorder, which can be addressed by having a moderate amount of facial hair. (The AOCD article refers to shaving every other day. This is a lesser amount of stubble than Don Johnson's character in the old "Miami Vice" show.)

With all due respect, I believe Mr. Trump jumped to some unwarranted conclusions without really thinking through this issue or becoming aware of the basics of the underlying facts. Of course police officers should have an appearance connoting professionalism. And, I believe, of course people experiencing a medical affliction should not be forced to suffer if a reasonable accommodation is consistent with their doing useful work.

I don't want to chime in on this, but since Mister Trump is showing his lighter side, here goes:

For the Defense the City of Houston first!
1). Yes, beat cops in their cruiser handing out citations to soccer moms and drunk drivers SHOULD LOOK PROFESSIONAL! After all they are being compensated like professionals compared to minimum wage workers they have to arrest!
2). But no!, unless we have completely won the "war on drugs" there is little room for a 'goody-goody' in the vice or narcotics squad.

And now for the Plaintiffs the Cops that don't want to get in trouble for a 'shadow':
1). You knew the job was dangerous when you took it. If you have sensitive skin there are a number of good electric razors and/or devices that will help you "keep it trim." (The article did not go into sideburns or mustaches, so I can't comment, but if it was like the Dorm I worked at when I went to Texas A&M the rule was as long as they're not long and "corners of the mouth" PERIOD!)
2). How are these dangerous felons going to learn not to mess with drugs if we keep 'RESCUEING" them from the evils of their deeds, [i.e. job loss, relationship breakups, homelessness;] if we keep taking them back in to the confines of Harris County repeatedly?

SY Mr. Trump, JGD SP Fl USA

At the architectural office I work at business casual has gone to "business, what's that?" I'm tired of the sloppy dress of my co-workers. It's like driving a dirty car around, clean it up! I dress the best I can with polished shoes, crisp pressed shirts and pants and a smile on my face. I'm tired the dumpy standards of some people. If I owned a business I would require upgraded attire for my employees, just that alone increases the value of a company and speaks well to clients that this is a professional office.
As for the people who oppose or ridicule the Donalds opinions... let me just think about this again... I can either listen and learn from the advice of a successful billionaire or I can muddle through the derogatory comments of a bunch of babbling idiots... hmmmm tough decision.
Donald Rules.

-Tim the well dressed architect in Indiana

Dear Mr. Trump,

This article reminds me of something a professor once taught me in college... he said, once you're out in the business world, even if you don't know what you're doing, LOOK like you do, because it may just get you overlooked, whereas, the person that doesn't look the part, and doesn't know what he/she is doing will usually get caught. I'm not sure if this says more about the advice itself, or the school I went to, but I digress... heh. This is something I learned early on in my career... when you look the part, others will respond positively, even when you don't have all the answers to questions, but that may be all the advantage you need sometimes.

If one takes business seriously, and to me, ALL business is taken as such... in other words, be the consummate professional in whatever field you are involved in. I've met people in the world of business who definately knew details, but they just didn't look the part... and in retrospect, I've seldom given them the business, be it justified or not; I just feel more comfortable with someone that looks the part... wouldn't you?

To add to this, here's something I learned from George Ross, your executive once, when I met him after a speech he gave on business success; the topic was business negotiations, and here's what he said: in negotiations, fake them out, but you have to look and act the part to do it.

Enough said...

Sincerely,

Mr. D. Leung
New York

Mr Trump,

I guess your Miss Universe beauty pagent show has been very successful lately. I watched part of it on TV. I've got to say I'm amazed at how many people turned up to watch the show live in Vietnam. You must be doing very well.

To the blog post, I do believe clean shaven cops do give public more confidence in approaching them with their problems. It would help the society to paint a better picture about public safety. I'm not saying that cops with beards and goathee are not efficient at their work, but it does make it harder to approach them.Thus, I do agree that cops or any public figure to keep a clean shave if they want to be easily approached by the public.

Prince Dudley,
Systems Engineer
http://birdseyesview.blogspot.com

Is this why lawyers make so much money? Imagine getting paid to argue the case of bearded Police Officers in a well-to-do place like Houston. .. Hmmm!

I wonder if anyone would hire a lawyer to debate this in Derby, Connecticut. I doubt it! There's not enough money in the budget for senseless issues like beards. Protecting citizens is more important.

Dear Mr Trump,

I am in agreement.

Let me share an example with you. I used to work as an air steward for the world famous airline British Airways (I saw the world, had a great time) the point is, in my day when I was an employee (1995 - 2000) if was against company rules to have a beard. Since then the airline have bowed to the crowd and now male cabin crew have these rather scruffy beards, moustaches, goatees.

One of my hobby jobs is a professional Scottish Bagpiper (I use the word 'professional' to promote the fact that I perform with a sincere, smart, sharp attitude. My appearance must be 'TOP'. I spit and polish my shoes, shave, maintain a clean collar at all times, that way I am set to cut the mustard!

There is no room in my establishement for people who can't properly look after themselves.

Sincerely,

Martin Mckay

http://martinmckay.blogspot.com/

A bearded Al Pacino playing "Serpico", a NYPD officer, looked good in a beard. He also looked good without one as the "Godfather".

Banning a Charlie Chaplin moustache does sound like a good idea however with people sensitive about anything these days.

Mr. Trump, absolutely employers have the right to set and enforce a dress code. There are many different companies that require uniforms, military, postal workers, security companies, Fed Ex and police departments included. A dress code can include hairstyle and facial hair guidelines. If the company is using good standards in their hiring practices, this should be clearly explained in the employee handbook and during the hiring process. Personally, I have never chosen to wear a mustache or beard :) in or out of employment.

As many contributors have written, the employees, in this case also have valid concerns. People working undercover need different guidelines than front line public image employees. As for the medical issues, I guess they knew the requirements of the job going into it, and if they were not able to meet the requirements of the job, maybe they should do something else. I also question how so many officers can all have the same medical condition. Is there a local Dr. that is aiding the cause?

As for good appearance being required in every line of work, how about dressing appropriate for the job? In my present work, I can dress appropriately for the Lawyers and Judges, in suits, which will totally alienate my clients and wont' hold up on the worksite, or I can dress for the work, in jeans and Carharts, and be very effective with the youth but looked at with disdain by visiting lawyers, while everyone familiar with what I do greets me and comments that it looks like I'm ready to get out there and get something done. In this case, dressing down is the best choice for me - but I wear clean, neat, modest workwear.