Tattoos in policing: a survey of state police policies

Abstract

Purpose

Policing agencies across the USA have cited difficulty recruiting qualified applicants, thus leaving many employment vacancies unfilled. One reason for this challenge may be that those who would make exceptional police officers are barred from employment because of their body art. Varying appearance policies exist concerning tattoos, yet little is known about these policies. The purpose of this paper is to survey the tattoo policies of policing agencies.

Design/methodology/approach

The tattoo policies of all 50 state-level policing agencies were reviewed to explore similarities and state-level correlates.

Findings

The majority, but not all, of state police have some type of appearance policy targeting tattoos. State policing agencies that have a “no visibility” policy regarding tattoos more often were in states with a low percentage of millennial residents, high percentage of young veterans, men and non-Hispanic white citizens, and low crime; t-tests indicate “no visibility” policy states significantly differed from other states in the percentage of non-Hispanic whites and crime. Further, state policing agencies with a “no visibility” policy tended to be in northeastern states, with southern states having the fewest state policing agencies with such policies, although the χ² test was non-significant.

Originality/value

Despite the ubiquity of tattoos in the American society, the literature is scant with studies of police appearance policies regarding tattoos. This study provides a partial summary of tattoo policies at the state policing level.

Citation

McMullen, S.M. and Gibbs, J. (2019), "Tattoos in policing: a survey of state police policies", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 42 No. 3, pp. 408-420. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-05-2018-0067