NYPD cracks down on beard length, time sheets and more that cops swear at

The NYPD has decided to crack down on its already thinning and overworked ranks by rooting out cops who grow beards too much, drink coffee on the job, and don’t empty their trash cans fast enough, The Post has learned.

The growing policing effort spearheaded by Police Commissioner Kichant Sewell is being led by the Standards and Evaluation Division of the bimonthly Bureau of Professional Standards, according to the NYPD.

“If someone is not following the beard procedure, they will look into it,” said Chief Kevin Maloney, commander of the DCPI. “That’s really what the cops have to do… it’s their job to make sure they do it. It’s just following the rules.”

In addition to ensuring that police officers do not grow beards larger than the departmental one-quarter-inch limit, this department is tasked with investigating violations such as police officers who keep inaccurate notebooks, darken the windows in their personal vehicles too much, or fail to know how to brush their hair properly.

The unit, led by Inspector Robert O’Hara, will also ensure that officers wear their body cameras on the right piece of clothing, update roll calls in a timely manner, show up on time, and do not leave their posts ahead of time.

Officers who cross sergeants and lieutenants assigned by observers will either receive a warning or be punished by command discipline or internal infractions that may result in loss of leave, typically five to 10 days depending on the infraction.

And it happened at precinct roll calls across the city—although the NYPD declined to say how many command disciplines it had already issued.

According to an NYPD spokesman, one example would be a police officer showing up on duty without a hat.

“Everyone has to look professional,” Maloney told The Post.

The police said the new initiative, officially announced on January 17, put them somewhere between eye-rolling and outright rebellion.

“It’s pathetic—everyone is talking about it,” said one Brooklyn cop, a 20-year veteran. “The guys say they have never seen such a bad fighting spirit. Attitude [the bosses] I want to get you for something… Why would you go out of your way to do something at this moment?”

According to another officer, some of the best in New York took it with a grain of salt, calling the new unit the “Suicide Squad” because it’s the “type of shit” that pushes cops to their limits.

“Like we don’t have enough stress,” the officer said. “I never see my family again, and you take more and more time from me? It’s a very stressful situation.”

Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said the new checks would only exacerbate the “NYPD’s historic personnel crisis.”

“It’s absolutely stunning that monitoring beard length and sock color is now a top priority for the NYPD,” Lynch said.

“The NYPD can’t pay their bills. They will never see their families. They fight every day with criminals who have no fear and a justice system that does not carry any consequences,” he added.

The department remained unmoved.

“Follow the rules, you have no problem,” a police spokesman said. “It seems simple enough… We can’t have double standards.”

The decision to throw the hammer on the rank and file comes at a particularly difficult time – the NYPD is facing a historic shortage of officers as cops continue to turn in their badges at an alarming rate.

Last week, The Post reported that the NYPD’s 33,822 uniformed police force was already 1,208 under budget.

During January and February of this year, 239 officers retired, up 36% from the 176 who retired during the same period in 2022. That’s 117% more than in 2021, according to NYPD retirement data.

But the numbers align with last year’s mass exodus: NYC’s top cops lost 3,701 cops due to retirement or retirement in 2022, the most since 3,846 people quit in the year after 9/11.

The cops say it’s not just low wages or department policy that’s to blame. One source previously told The Post that cops are being forced to work “inhumane overtime”, including sacrificing their days off.

Tough measures by the Bureau of Standards are unlikely to help stem the tide.

According to police sources, in recent weeks, section chiefs have received a memo from higher ups warning them of the new unit.

The memo warned that cops working Friday’s St. Patrick’s Day parade should be particularly finicky because O’Hare’s watchful crews will ensure they are “properly dressed, with presentable shoes, clothing and properly groomed, including hair and facial hair.” “.

They will also search wastebaskets – the memo says that “teams will check that the garbage does not overflow and is not scattered at all levels of command.”

Especially vulnerable will be late tours and weekends that are “likely to be unkempt,” according to a memo obtained by The Post.

Monitors also review camera footage from 311 calls, as well as overtime requests for crime reduction posts and individual officers’ notebooks documenting their break times and whereabouts.

“It is the responsibility of the chief to check the police record books for these details, and they will be held accountable along with the police if deficiencies are found,” the memo reads.

Officers say this will only cause more burned-out officers to leave the ranks.

“They just add to the stress, so people say ‘fuck it’ and leave,” one of the sources said. “Punish, punish. I always hear disappointment and [that they’re] looking for a new job.