HOUSTON CITY HALL -- Houston Police Sgt. Shelby Stewart arrived at the City Council Chamber this morning with a gas mask. He brought it to demonstrate what he calls a discriminatory policy put in place by Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt, which bans beards.

Stewart says he has to have facial hair because of a medical condition, which mainly affects African Americans. In previous interviews with 11News, Stewart has said that shaving his facial hair causes an extremely painful rash.

"This will take away the rights of African American males on the police force," Stewart told the Council this morning. "It has nothing to do with safety."

A police spokesman says the policy exists to protect officers in the event of a chemical attack or other event that might require a gas mask. Facial hair can affect the mask's seal.

Stewart and two other officers have sued the police department, claiming discrimination. Those officers still work for the police department, but in positions that do not require them to wear a uniform on patrol. The police policy bars officers with facial hair from wearing the uniform in public. Stewart says that affects his ability to work as an in-uniform security guard for private businesses during his off-time. The City Council is deciding whether to pay a private law firm to defend its position.

City Council member Toni Lawrence asked if Shelby had a beard when he graduated from the police academy in 1982. "No, I did not," Shelby responded. "Early in my career in the department, it was told to me that if I [grew my beard] I'd be put on the desk. That meant I had to suffer whatever I had to suffer through in order to keep the uniform on."

Lawrence asked if he has presented documentation to the police department about his medical condition, which Shelby said he has not.

Later, another officer -- Kenneth Perkins -- addressed the Council and said he has had more weapons of mass destruction training than most officers currently on the force. He brought with him a letter from 1988, written by department leadership, granting an exemption from the facial hair policy due to his medical condition.

"I appreciate the department looking out for our safety," Perkins said. "But I want this to be done fairly. And it has not been done fairly."

1 Comments

fedupindickinson said:

Maybe there's a happy compromise here, there are other types of "EBA's" out there that don't require a face seal. Some of the chemical plants in the area issue a full air bag and bottle of air that covers the whole head, perhaps the City Of Houston can put these officers back in the uniform and out on the street by issuing such a device. Also it is DEBATABLE whether a mask can seal properly around a moustache and goatee....the fit tests that I have witnessed, some guys fail, some pass, it has more to do with the bone structure of the face and chin and the design of the testing apparatus then with facial hair. This is the new millenium. Surely we can come up with a valid technical solution other than removing these cops from the streets. What did we do up until 2001? Cops patrolled the streets without these things. This whole argument seems sort of ridiculous to me, especially given the fact of rising crime in Houston. What is the worse threat here? A remote chance of terrorist attack using nuclear, biological or chemical weapon, (in which supposedly thousands would die or be injured) or roving criminal gangs being given free license because there is a shrinking number of police officers to protect the public. I think the second scenario scares me more.

June 6, 2008 6:18 AM

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