Food for thought: It is a lawsuit waiting to happen, imnsho. This is the only article I could find, but this reminded me of what happened here a few years back. What profoundly shocked me was that the police chief was a brotha, not in office a good year before he started trippin'. He's since been fired.
Please note: I don't care for the term DREADlocks, that was the author, not I.
Dispute Over Dallas Dreadlocks Escalates
(From The Dallas Morning News)
At least two Dallas police officers who had been warned that their dreadlock hairstyles do not conform to department policy have been placed on administrative leave for refusing to cut their hair, police officials said. The paid administrative leave for the officers and the highly publicized haircut last week for a department spokesman who had been wearing a dreadlock hairstyle has brought attention to the department's ban on the hairstyles under policies developed in the 1970s. Senior Cpl. Chris Gilliam, 37, who had been growing the hairstyle for about two years, was ordered not to appear in television interviews until he cut his hair.
Some in the department say the cornrow, dreadlock and other hairstyles worn primarily by black officers erode the respect needed by police officers to be effective in their work. Chief Terrell Bolton has privately told officers and members of his top command staff that he does not approve of the hairstyles. "The bottom line is that we have to comply with the general orders," said Janice Houston, special assistant to the chief of police. "There's a misconception out there that one group is being targeted, and that's not true. Everything and everyone needs to be in compliance."
Officers Gina L. Mosley, 30, and Frank Hasty, 37, were sent home last week after they showed up to work with dreadlocks. Officer Elizabeth Gates, 34, is taking vacation after receiving a memo saying her hairstyle did not comply with department policy. If she returns to work, she will be placed on administrative leave, department officials said. Several other officers with similar hairstyles also have been warned to change them, police said. Some say banning the hairstyles shows a lack of tolerance.
Letters are pouring into Chief Bolton's office in support of the officers' hairstyles, and the executive director of the National Black Police Association said the department should reconsider its policy based on the standards of society today. "Hairstyle has nothing to do with whether you are a good or bad police officer or person," said Ronald E. Hampton, executive director of the National Black Police Association. "It's totally absurd for a police department in the 21st century to be worried about hair. Have they solved all the crime in Dallas?"
Noliwe Rooks, associate director of African American Studies at Princeton University and author of Hair Raising: Beauty, Culture and African American Women, said, "Hair just pushes all these racial buttons, and a hairstyle starts to take up all these political meanings."
The department's general orders relating to personal appearance and grooming, written in the 1970s, address Afro hairstyles but don't mention the current styles. The policy says officers should present a "neutral and uniform image, to effectively relate to all segments of the population they serve." Male officers' hairstyles must be tapered on the sides and back and the hair is not to be ragged, unkempt or extreme. Female officers are allowed to wear braided hairstyles close to the head but are not allowed to wear ponytails or pigtails. Officers with dreadlocks say they pin their hair so it stays behind their ears and collar to conform to those guidelines.
A "hair committee" made up of officers from various departments convened several months ago to discuss the hairstyles. But no one on the committee had dreadlocks or any of the other hairstyles discussed. The 12-member committee voted unanimously to allow hair "twists" common to the early stages of the dreadlock styles, as long as they appeared neat. The committee voted 11-1 not to allow cornrows or braids. On the day the committee met to make the final recommendation, Assistant Chief Randy Hampton told the committee that the department would continue adhering to the general orders, officers said.
Chief Hampton would not discuss the recommendations made by the committee, why it was formed or why he overturned the recommendations. "This is a personnel issue, and we're going to follow the general orders," Chief Hampton said. "Right now, that's what we're going to do.â€
Officer Gates, a 13-year-veteran, said Deputy Chief Kyle Royster told her May 15 that her hairstyle was in compliance with department regulations. Two days later, Chief Royster called Officer Gates into his office and told her someone in the police academy had filed a complaint about her hairstyle. She said. "I asked them what I could do to come into compliance," Officer Gates said. "I was not trying to be disrespectful. I needed clarification, but they kept referring me to the general orders. I have always met all the personal appearance rules, now, all of a sudden, I'm not in compliance. I've had my hair this way for almost three years, and it has never been an issue."
The hairstyle issue for officers is not new. Dallas police Detective Dwaine Hall, a 32-year veteran, fought the department in the mid-1970s so he could wear an Afro. "I was at a point in my career where I was not being accepted in my own community," said Detective Hall, who works in the financial-crimes unit. Although Detective Hall said he does not support allowing police officers to wear dreadlocks, he said the department should have addressed the issue earlier. "I think what upsets the officers the most is that nobody said anything to them, and now all of a sudden someone decides to flex their muscles," Detective Hall said.
Some officers have met with attorneys at the Dallas law firm of Bickel & Brewer to discuss their options, said Kennedy Barnes, director of the law firm's storefront that handles pro bono cases. Most police departments have grooming policies to ensure officers' safety. Long hair and ponytails are seen as threats to officers' safety because offenders can grab the hair to overpower an officer. New York City, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia allow dreadlocks if officers can follow hair guidelines. In Baltimore, a Rastafarian police officer who wears dreadlocks for religious reasons is suing the department after being suspended for wearing dreadlocks.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland is representing Officer Antoine Chambers, who has been reassigned to administrative duties despite a federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ruling in his favor, said Dwight Sullivan, his ACLU attorney. "If the grooming standards are not a religious issue, the courts don't seem to be very receptive," Mr. Sullivan said.
The Texas Peace Officers Association, the largest black police association in Dallas, is backing the ban on dreadlocks. "The chief is well within his purview to set standards for hairstyles in the Dallas Police Department," said Senior Cpl. Vincent Weddington, the association vice president.
But not all members within the organization agree with the group. Sgt. Thomas Glover, president of the association, said he has asked top administrators to re-examine the standards because some officers say the grooming policy is not being applied uniformly.
I believe one of the officers became an activist, the others cut their locks.
I immediately replied that "Mary" is our government liason--she is essentially our lobbiest and secures political favors and funding committments from elected officials. She was hand picked by our general manager, and recently lauded by our board of directors. Mary is natural, and usually wears her hair is a wild shake and go or twists/twistout.
But seriously, you have to fight for what you believe in and thats healthy hair!!! I wouldn't do anything about it until he addressed me up front though.
