The Chris Moeller Archives

The absence of the mop cops

This subject comes from out left field way tonight, but what's the deal with cops and their hair? I've been on high observance for the fuzz of late as I'm only about one-fourth of the way through my one-year speeding ticket probation, and I'm curious: Are they mandated by statute or police procedure to all have really short haircuts or are they all just walking in "lock of hair lockstep" voluntarily? If somebody knows the answer to his, please let me know.

If it's the latter, it doesn't say much for the collective self-esteem or individual courage of the officers. If it's the former, which I suspect it is, I take special exception as a citizen. Somewhere along the way-- and this surely started in the military-- a commander, or group of commanders, determined that all officers of the sort should have matching haircuts. How they (presumably) came to take the giant leap from behavioral discipline by the company to the surrendering of all rights to the self-determination of hair design is beyond my ability to grasp.

Uniform shirt and pants make sense insofar as armed individuals like to know whom not to shoot, but many officers of the law are not even uniformed, and as I'm able to best hypothesize, an edict to institute a homogeneous haircut among male patrolmen only serves to perpetuate the "us vs. them" mentality on the streets that they should be trying heartily to avoid. If a buzzcut conveys respect for the law, institutionally, then what, pray tell, does long hair convey? The incongruity of style has to effect a judgment of hostility at some point for the cop on the beat.

I'd be thrilled to see any of the following on a police officer in my city: ponytail, afro, bangs, dreadlocks, bowl cut, or cornrows. Any one of the six would be a first, to my observance.

This is what's been on my mind lately. Can you believe it? My 999th post on this blog right here tonight, and I'm still hot on topics.

posted by CM @ 8:27 PM