Brea police take a look at permitting officers to point out their tattoos, like in another departments

Two owls sitting on a key styled to resemble a tree department, a Korean warrior surrounded by bushes and mountains, a map of North America.

These tattoos are on the our bodies of staff within the Brea Police Department — and you might catch a glimpse of them.

The division is in a pilot program permitting personnel to point out off their physique artwork.

Brea, in 2019, was the primary police division in Orange County to permit officers to develop beards — a change that was well-received by the neighborhood, Lt. Chris Haddad mentioned.

The subsequent 12 months, a number of officers expressed an curiosity in shifting the division’s method to tattoos as nicely, to reflect a generational shift — as tattoos had grow to be extra prevalent amongst youthful officers than they had been 20 years in the past. At that time, the tattoos needed to be lined whereas on obligation.

“If you go to the physician, dentist, or Starbucks, everyone beneath the age of 30 has seen tattoos on their arms,” the lieutenant mentioned. “It’s fairly commonplace in society now.”

That concept was postponed and revisited just a few years later, when the pilot program formally went into impact, in August 2023. It continues on, with the purpose of getting further suggestions from the Brea neighborhood. So far, the overwhelming majority of feedback have been constructive or detached, Haddad added.

“Back within the day, it was once a unfavourable connotation when somebody had a tattoo, like they’re a prisoner or gangster, of that kind,” mentioned Sgt. Edgar Padilla, who’s within the site visitors division. “But now that’s modified rather a lot.”

Tattoos are a type of self-expression for Padilla, who was one of many officers who started pushing for the coverage change again in 2020. He’s had tattoos for greater than a decade, and started getting full sleeves of tattoos on each of his arms lately.

The further physique artwork had required him to put on lengthy sleeves at work, which wasn’t an issue when he was on a bike all day. It ultimately grew to become a difficulty when Padilla labored patrol on scorching days, and prompted a dialogue about revisiting the concept for a tattoo pilot program.

The different dialog starter?

Disney.

Padilla mentioned he took word after the massive company adjusted its coverage on solid members’ appearances, which allowed for larger flexibility with hairstyles and tattoos.

“That was sort of a turning level of us saying, ‘You know what, if Disney is ready to do this, and different companies are starting to do this, then why can’t we attempt it?’ ” Padilla mentioned.

Since the pilot program started, Padilla mentioned, he’s solely heard constructive feedback from folks. He mentioned his co-workers are excited concerning the pilot program, with many saying, “It’s about time one thing like this occurred.”

So far, 11 out of 100 staff within the division have been licensed to point out their tattoos. Employees who wish to make seen their physique artwork should submit photographs of their tattoos and their meanings to the uniform committee for overview — eight folks from the division, akin to dispatchers and officers, together with sergeants. They make a advice to the uniform commander, a lieutenant.

Tattoos can’t be proven throughout occasions akin to at pre-planned protests, court docket proceedings and funerals. Neck, hand, and face tattoos aren’t allowed. Nor are offensive, inappropriate or group tattoos amongst staff, together with these exhibiting membership to any so-called law-enforcement gang, or something that conflicts with division coverage.

At some level, the chief can determine whether or not to make the tattoo coverage everlasting and will modify it.

Some companies imagine seen tattoos aren’t for them.

The Orange and Los Angeles county sheriff’s departments and the Los Angeles Police Department, for instance, prohibit the show of any seen tattoo whereas on obligation.

If the pilot program does grow to be a brand new, everlasting coverage, the Brea Police Department would be a part of different native police companies that enable seen tattoos, together with these in Huntington Beach, Westminster, La Habra and Placentia.

“The outdated methods of doing issues is altering,” Placentia Sgt. Joe Connell mentioned, whose division modified its visible-tattoo coverage a number of years in the past. “The stigma of tattoos shouldn’t be the identical, folks have a look at it in a different way now.”

After Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco was elected in 2016, deputies obtained new uniforms, and so they had been allowed to develop beards, exhibit their tattoos and even don cowboy hats. The transition made deputies extra snug and helped increase morale, he mentioned.

“We had been working within the ’80s, in our insurance policies and the way in which we do issues,” Bianco mentioned. “The tradition of tattoos has advanced into one thing totally different than when these companies that don’t enable tattoos got here up with their insurance policies. They’re 30, 40, 50 years outdated.”

Forcing a deputy to cover tattoos and put on a long-sleeve shirt in 100-degree climate is “foolish,” the sheriff mentioned. The solely unfavourable suggestions obtained across the up to date insurance policies had been from “disgruntled” retired legislation enforcement officers, who seen the change as “unprofessional,” he added.

“Markings in your pores and skin have completely nothing to do along with your angle, your utility of service, your helpfulness,” Bianco mentioned. “It’s a foul argument.”