{"id":17463,"date":"2025-03-26T14:54:57","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T19:54:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/?p=17463"},"modified":"2025-03-26T14:54:57","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T19:54:57","slug":"chicago-police-criticized-for-sloppy-appearance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/2025\/03\/26\/chicago-police-criticized-for-sloppy-appearance\/","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Police Criticized for Sloppy Appearance"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction to the Problem<\/h1>\n

Chicago Police Department brass are cracking down on the appearances of some district officers who could face reprimands, according to a scathing internal email sent out this week by a police leader.<\/p>\n

Uniform and Appearance Guidelines<\/h2>\n

Officers have to wear \u201cclean and serviceable\u201d uniforms with no holes or tears, and they are forbidden from wearing hoodies underneath or tactical pants, according to the memo, sent out earlier this week by Area 5 Deputy Chief William Betancourt, which was obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times. Cops also are required to have a full beard or no beard at all, no goatees, no earrings while on duty, no fingernail polish outside of neutral colors, no \u201cfaddish\u201d hairstyles, and shirts will be worn \u201cunder the quarter zip,\u201d according to the memo, sent to commanders of districts under Area 5.<\/p>\n

Accountability<\/h3>\n

Commanders, captains and all supervisors in addition to district officers would be held accountable for continuing uniform and appearance guideline violations, the memo said. \u201cIf you cannot handle your positions\/ranks and do what is asked of all supervisors please let me know, l will ask the Chief to assign someone who can,\u201d Betancourt said in the email.<\/p>\n

Response from the Union<\/h4>\n

John Catanzara, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Chicago Lodge 7, told the Sun-Times in a phone call the union has \u201cno issue with looking professional across the board.\u201d \u201cThe department has had appearance standards forever,\u201d Catanzara said. \u201cThe superintendent (Larry Snelling) made it very clear that was going to be one of his main motivations or focuses coming in.\u201d \u201cThey\u2019re entitled to do it and God bless them,\u201d Catanzara added.<\/p>\n

Inspection and Promotion Considerations<\/h5>\n

As of Monday, roll calls now include a uniform and appearance inspection, and those not following the guidelines must be written up, the memo said. Betancourt told supervisors that they should consider how officers present themselves when they consider who will receive a merit-based promotion. \u201cI will be attending roll calls unannounced, if your Lts and Sgts cannot get this together they can expect to be written up as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previous Warnings<\/h6>\n

\u201cWe have spoken about this for the past 18 months and we are still not addressing the officers in the districts in regards to this!\u201d Betancourt said in the email.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The Chicago Police Department’s crackdown on officer appearance is a step towards maintaining professionalism and discipline within the force. With clear guidelines and consequences for non-compliance, the department aims to ensure that all officers present themselves in a manner that reflects positively on the department.<\/p>\n

FAQs<\/h2>\n