Brea police are allowing their officers to show their tattoos.
The Brea Police Department has launched a pilot program that allows officers to show their tattoos.
Brea Police Department personnel now have the opportunity to express themselves through their body art while on duty or in uniform.
“For people interested in tattoos, it creates an opportunity for conversation with the officers, even if they’re not on a call,” said Brea police Lt. Chris Haddad. “Some of our officers have some pretty amazing artwork on their arms.”
While tattoos have become more common in the workplace, Brea police previously required staff to cover up their ink.
However, over the past 10 months, the department has relaxed its policy.
“Our officers are working hard,” Haddad said. “They’re out at car accident scenes standing for hours in the sun, and being able to wear short sleeves is significantly more comfortable.”
Under the current pilot program, tattoos must be approved by a uniform committee. There are occasions when staff will be required to cover up their tattoos, such as at funerals, in court, at city council meetings, and during preplanned protests.
“We also don’t allow our officers to display their tattoos at court, city council meetings, and preplanned protests,” Haddad added.
Brea police recognize that times have changed and body art is a larger part of today’s culture. They don’t believe tattoos affect an officer’s capability.
“This generation of officers that we have working for us, especially here at the Brea Police Department, they’re so professional,” Haddad said. “They’re thoughtful, they’re empathic, and they work so hard. I wouldn’t allow them displaying tattoos to color your opinion of them.”
The tattoo pilot program will conclude at the end of this month, but so far, it has received nothing but positive reviews from the community and police officers.
Brea Police Department Press Release Re: Tattoo Pilot Program
Over the last 10 months, you may have noticed that some of our police officers and staff members have been displaying their tattoos while in uniform. This is part of a pilot program to explore allowing employees to show body art while on duty. These tattoos must adhere to strict guidelines and go through an approval process prior to their display.
Our department is doing this to improve officer comfort in hot weather, as a recruitment/retention incentive, and to “humanize” the badge.
We value your opinion. Please take a moment to share your thoughts by completing a short survey linked below:
#breapd #community #tattoopilot #foryou #foryoupage #fyp #foryou
[…] Story continues […]