Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has ordered a revision to the NYPD's appearance guidelines and facial hair on cops is for the most part forbidden. No full beards, no goatees, no chinstrap beards, and no highly sculpted facial hair patterns. Mustaches, of course, are still acceptable. Undercover cops are allowed to retain whatever facial hair they choose. Uniformed officers found to be insufficiently clean shaven could face a formal infraction report or the loss of a vacation day.
According to Newsday, the change in policy was prompted by Chief of Patrol Robert Giannelli, who has a Steinbrenner-esque penchant for keeping his men looking sharp. Giannelli and other police officials have reportedly seen a laxness among the rank and file in rules regarding personal appearance recently, thus the crackdown on the unshaven. For the life of us, however, we can't remember the last time we saw any cop sporting a beard, and it seems like mustaches are preferred mostly by older personnel. Regardless, we guess we won't be seeing any solidarity strike beards on officers supporting the WGA.
