D.C. police to allow Sikh officers to wear beards, religious items on job

[rug]

JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GETTY IMAGES - Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier listens as Jasjit Singh, Executive Director, Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund, speaks during an event to release the department’s new uniform and appearance rules May 16 at MPD headquarters in Washington..

By Tara Bahrampour
Updated: Wednesday, May 16, 6:14 PM

The D.C. police force on Wednesday became the first major metropolitan police department in the country to proactively allow Sikh officers to wear beards and religious items such as turbans while on the job.

The policy change was announced by Police Chief Cathy L. Lanier, who compared Sikhs to other groups that have struggled for parity in law enforcement.

“I have to remind myself sometimes that in my lifetime women were not allowed to ride in patrol cars along with men, and now I’m chief,” she said at a news conference that was attended by members of the local Sikh community.

Lanier said law enforcement works better when members of the public see themselves mirrored in their local police department, adding: “To me this is a common-sense decision. It is important that we have representation from all of our communities across Washington, D.C.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-police-to-allow-sikh-officers-to-wear-beards-religious-items-on-job/2012/05/16/gIQAlNweUU_story.html

[Grey]

1. It works here in Canada,

I don't see the problem. Other opinions may differ.

[bananas]

2. Good. nt

[cbayer]

3. I worked with a Sikh in a psychiatric emergency room in a large urban hospital.

His mere presence was often more effective than anything else we could offer.

Both his turban and his manner just had a way of calming people down. I never really understood why, but I saw it take place over and over.

[rug]

4. That's probably one of the reasons psychiatrsits still wear white coats.

An aura of authority, not that they're likely to get any bodily fluids on them.

[cbayer]

5. Actually, in the ED, there can be a significant amount of spitting.

Also, patients who have made suicide attempts or gestures are often bleeding or vomiting. Psych ED's also are the repository for the homeless, who may have not had access to showers or even bathrooms for quite a while.

Sorry to be so graphic, but psych ED's are generally not very sterile places.

[rug]

6. That's true, but they often wear them on the wards with long-term patients.

[cbayer]

7. That is true. Psychiatrists often struggle with the perception that they are not *real* doctors.