Dinosaur Mentality Still Rules the Department and Puts Officers at Risk

Although dinosaurs no longer roam the earth, the dinosaur mentality of many of the Department’s command staff manages to keep archaic policies in place and controls decision making within the Department, creating hazards for working police officers and putting them in harm's way. The Department’s refusal to modernize policy and adjust to modern society causes officers to take needless risks that expose them to health and other safety hazards.

When I was a young officer, the Department had a policy that required you to wear your uniform hat anytime you exited your police vehicle. This policy was enforced, especially by the older supervisors. If an old fogey sergeant caught you doing police work without your hat on, you could expect to have your heels locked. If you got caught by younger enlightened supervisors, nothing would be said as long as you put your hat on without being told as soon as possible after they arrived at the scene.

I remember one time when I was on probation my training officer Pete Weinhold and I became involved in a foot pursuit of a suspect. When the dust settled, the sergeant chewed out Pete for not having his hat on. The fact that I had my hat on just reinforced the supervisor’s opinion that Pete should have had his hat on, too. Obviously, because I was a probationer, the hat was almost glued to my head. As a young officer, I felt that there were too many supervisors that were more interested in enforcing petty policies like this one rather than what kind of work we were doing.

When I made sergeant, an old time lieutenant informed me that he expected me to enforce the hat rule and not to be one of those “enlightened” sergeants that would not take officers to task just because they put on their hats after I showed up at the scene.

After being a sergeant for a few years, a deputy chief came to a supervisor’s meeting at 77th Division to discuss a possible policy change that would eliminate the requirement to wear a hat at all times when out of the police vehicle. I told the chief that as a supervisor, when I arrived at the scene I was more interested in the quality of service being provided, the response time of the officers in getting to the call, and if the problem was being addressed, than whether officers were wearing their hats. The reaction of some of the lieutenants and older sergeants was unbelievable; it was like I had just admitted to being a card-carrying communist.

Fast forward to today’s “hat issue.” The Department is once again mired in its dinosaur mentality regarding changing the uniform policy, permitting officers to wear a long-sleeve shirt without a tie. The arguments for changing the Department’s uniform policy is rooted in the same mentality with the same arguments that were used as the excuses for not doing away with the hats; it just does not look professional. The Department’s image will be ruined. The Department is recognized nationwide as being one of the few organizations that looks professional because our officers wear a long-sleeve shirt with a tie.

The major reason we need a long-sleeve shirt without a tie is because of the Department’s tattoo policy. The Department’s dinosaurs could not deal with the fact that there were officers with tattoos that they deemed excessive, unsightly and unprofessional. Therefore, a new tattoo policy was implemented that required officers to cover their tattoos, which in many instances requires officers to wear a long-sleeve shirt with a tie.

So now the Department has a tattoo policy that is being enforced in some divisions and not in others. Some officers have their arms wrapped and look like Egyptian mummies, others wear long-sleeve shirts with ties, thereby putting them at risk for possible heat stroke. Other officers have quit wearing their vests because it is just too hot, especially when you work the Valley with a long-sleeve shirt and tie on, thereby putting them at risk for injury by not wearing their vests.

A long-sleeve shirt designed to be worn without a tie was approved by the Uniform Committee several months ago. Unfortunately, the dinosaurs in the command staff have been successful in blocking any change in the Department’s policy regarding this issue. They are opposed to it because the Department is recognized for its professional image, which means long sleeve shirt and a tie, etc. It is the same old tired arguments that were used for not doing away with the hats. Well, the Department did away with the hats, and it survived, just like it will if it does away with the requirement that you have to wear a tie with a long-sleeve shirt.

In closing, I just want to remind the dinosaurs in the command staff that officers working the field trying to do their jobs deserve the opportunity to wear a professionally designed shirt that meets Department standards, yet affords them the comfort to survive the heat while wearing their vest and all the other gear that they are required to lug around. Officers should not be subjected to additional officer safety hazards and to possible heat stroke because you think, “Wow, don’t I still look good in my uniform with my nifty little tie.” Contact Commander Ken Garner, Personnel Group, who chairs the Uniform Committee, and let him know that you have reconsidered the issue and that you are in support of the proposed uniform change, because the troops deserve it.

Lt. Luther Lutz, LAPD