Post by coots on Jul 19, 2013 22:54:06 GMT -5
NY Daily News
New NYPD Chief Wants to Clean Up Cops' Sloppy Style
Chief of Department Philip Banks issued a memo to the department's 34,500 members ordering them to keep shoes shined, pants pressed and tattoos covered.
7/19/13 - A portly police officer may be behind the latest NYPD initiative: Stop and primp.
Chief of Department Philip Banks wants his cops to put their best, buffed feet forward as part of a renewed effort to keep the department’s 34,500 members looking neat on the beat.
“A member’s appearance and uniforms must be . . . clean and conform to all standards,” declares a 10-page Banks memo outlining his planned crackdown on sloppy cop couture.
The “uniform appearance plan,” now in draft form, encourages officers to shine their shoes, cover their tattoos, straighten their hats, and buy new pants.
A source said Banks’ interest in making like Mr. Blackwell followed the sight of a heavyset cop stuffed like a sausage into an ill-fitting outfit at the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Banks denied it was any single incident that led to the fashion review that he began putting together about six weeks ago.
“I would say that the overwhelming majority of officers have a lot of pride in their appearance,” he told the Daily News. “We’re just trying to improve things. So if it’s 95%, we want to make it 96%.”
Banks said the public appreciates a neat appearance in all walks of life.
“I think they’ll have more confidence in anybody who looks good — a police officer, Sanitation Department worker, bus operator, the people who work in the press,” he said.
The chief, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The News, laid out his NYPD pet peeves: Fraying, fading pants. Worn-out, cracking belts. Wrinkled shirts. Crooked hats. Scuffed shoes.
In addition to their gear, cops need to keep their facial hair neatly trimmed — the Serpico look is sooooo 1970s. And cops hired on or after Jan. 1, 2007, are required to keep their tattoos covered.
The head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association questioned Banks’ fashion sense.
“Instead of focusing on discipline, the job should focus on the shortage of police officers that is causing our members to run full speed from job to job in 100-degree heat,” said union president Patrick Lynch.
New NYPD Chief Wants to Clean Up Cops' Sloppy Style
Chief of Department Philip Banks issued a memo to the department's 34,500 members ordering them to keep shoes shined, pants pressed and tattoos covered.
7/19/13 - A portly police officer may be behind the latest NYPD initiative: Stop and primp.
Chief of Department Philip Banks wants his cops to put their best, buffed feet forward as part of a renewed effort to keep the department’s 34,500 members looking neat on the beat.
“A member’s appearance and uniforms must be . . . clean and conform to all standards,” declares a 10-page Banks memo outlining his planned crackdown on sloppy cop couture.
The “uniform appearance plan,” now in draft form, encourages officers to shine their shoes, cover their tattoos, straighten their hats, and buy new pants.
A source said Banks’ interest in making like Mr. Blackwell followed the sight of a heavyset cop stuffed like a sausage into an ill-fitting outfit at the Puerto Rican Day Parade.
Banks denied it was any single incident that led to the fashion review that he began putting together about six weeks ago.
“I would say that the overwhelming majority of officers have a lot of pride in their appearance,” he told the Daily News. “We’re just trying to improve things. So if it’s 95%, we want to make it 96%.”
Banks said the public appreciates a neat appearance in all walks of life.
“I think they’ll have more confidence in anybody who looks good — a police officer, Sanitation Department worker, bus operator, the people who work in the press,” he said.
The chief, according to a copy of the memo obtained by The News, laid out his NYPD pet peeves: Fraying, fading pants. Worn-out, cracking belts. Wrinkled shirts. Crooked hats. Scuffed shoes.
In addition to their gear, cops need to keep their facial hair neatly trimmed — the Serpico look is sooooo 1970s. And cops hired on or after Jan. 1, 2007, are required to keep their tattoos covered.
The head of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association questioned Banks’ fashion sense.
“Instead of focusing on discipline, the job should focus on the shortage of police officers that is causing our members to run full speed from job to job in 100-degree heat,” said union president Patrick Lynch.
