Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 406 AMERICAN POLICE BEAT: FEBRUARY 2017 Chuck Norris, AKA Walker Texas Ranger, would likely approve of the appearance directive update. Obviously the new rules don’t allow for Grizzly Ad- ams type beards or the in- tolerable Brooklyn hipster version with the waxed handlebars. But cops in De- troit now have a green light to sport trimmed beards and goatees. “Doctors have beards, attorneys have beards, poli- ticians have beards, engi- neers, teachers, all across the professional board,” noted Officer Richard Bul- lard, an 18-year veteran of the Detroit P.D. Before the new policy Bullard took advantage of the shaving deferment. Officer Eric Bromley, who’s fresh out of the acad- emy, says choice is a good thing. “I don’t like to shave. I mean, that’s really it. I prefer a beard.” But anyone who knows anything about law enforce- ment culture knows there will some naysayers because appearance, whether it’s fa- cial hair or uniforms, is such a big deal. “I hate the beards,” As- sistant Chief Steve Dolunt said. “I don’t think it looks that professional.” But Chief James Craig says this is an easy and un- complicated way to boost morale. “I thought officers should be able to wear the beard,” he said. “It doesn’t have anything to do with being less professional.” Next up – small earrings. Female officers in Detroit are now allowed to wear stud earrings on the job but men are not. Craig says that could change. “If a lot of people made enough noise I would certainly entertain it. I would discuss it.” Seasoned observers of American law enforcement say these changes in appear- ance directives are likely to continue as the result of many law enforcement as- sociation court victories on behalf of cops who wanted to wear visible tattoos. Continued from page one Beards for cops are cleared It’s almost impossible to pick up a newspaper or click on a website and not see horrific headlines about gun violence in Chicago. In fact, most people are so used to hearing about just how bad it is in the Windy City they simply assume it just doesn’t get worse than Chicago as far as shootings. There were 3,500 people shot in the city as of mid- October, 1,000 more than at the same time last year. Chicago is home to some 2.7 million residents. On a per capita basis, gun violence in Chicago is obviously bad, but not as bad as one might expect or believe. Chicago’s homicide rate over the last five years was 16.4 per 100,000 residents. That’s just one third of the homicide rate of St. Louis and New Orleans. As a matter of fact, Chica- go’s rate of non-fatal shoot- ings was only the 12th high- est of 68 cities in 2015, with a rate of 88.9 per 100,000, according to the Major Cit- ies Chiefs Association. St. Louis led the list with a rate of 660 per 100,000. That’s seven times Chicago’s rate. St. Louis has about 318,000 residents. Because Chicago has so many people, it can get a murder every day, and that gets people’s attention. But because everyone fo- cuses on numbers, not rates, Chicago ends up looking worse because people forget what a big city Chicago is. Chicago doesn’t have the highest homicide rate based on figures Thanks to a deal finalized in 2008, Chicago’s parking meters will be operated for the next 75 years by a group of investors put together by Morgan Stanley, including the sovereign wealth fund of Abu Dhabi. Unlike the USA, cops with beards are not at all uncommon in other countries like the UK. Parking Meter Deal To learn more, visit your local Smith & Warren dealer or visit www.SmithWarren.com Badges Insignia Medals Awards Collar Insignia Nameplates Challenge Coins Pins Accessories Contact@SmithWarren.com Ph: 914.948.4619 Fax: 914.948.1627 Design your badge online /smithandwarren @SmithnWarren Trust Smith & Warren for a badge that reflects your department’s identity It’s not JUST a BADGE