Cops and tattoos.

[SheWolf]

I seriously don't get the link people make between ink and general bad behaviour... so what if a lot of gangsters have tatts, a lot of them have brown hair too. If someone dyed their hair brown we don't assume they're gangster-wannabes. I have 2 tatts and I waited until I was in my thirties to get them. I have an appointment in November for my third (my artist is booked up a year in advance...ugh) both are representative of life-altering situations and are extremely meaningful to me. I show them off every chance I get and if people don't want to see them, they can look the other way.

IMHO a cop who has tatts shows he's lived a little, it makes them more relatable.

 

[the beav]

I seriously don't get the link people make between ink and general bad behaviour... so what if a lot of gangsters have tatts, a lot of them have brown hair too. If someone dyed their hair brown we don't assume they're gangster-wannabes. I have 2 tatts and I waited until I was in my thirties to get them. I have an appointment in November for my third (my artist is booked up a year in advance...ugh) both are representative of life-altering situations and are extremely meaningful to me. I show them off every chance I get and if people don't want to see them, they can look the other way.

IMHO a cop who has tatts shows he's lived a little, it makes them more relatable.

Six teens arrested recently in the Cincinnati suburb of North College Hill for beating 45-year-old Pat Mahaney reportedly told police they ambushed the man because they were bored....

Lamont Champion, 13 and heavily tattooed, wrote after a report of the attack was featured on local news: “MAN WE WAS JUST ON THE NEWS FOE HITTIN DAT MAN OMG BRA WE BOUT TO GET SUM TIME WE WAS ON DA NEWS IDK WADD TO DO MAN D— I GOT TO MUCH S— PLANNED AN ON MY MINE (LMS) TO PRAY FOE US.”

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/201...-beats-white-man-unconscious-they-were-bored/

 

[Argonaut]

They way I look at it, if the police force doesn't have a problem with the tats, who am I to argue with a man with a loaded gun, body armor, and back-up?

 

[oc_in_fw]

Six teens arrested recently in the Cincinnati suburb of North College Hill for beating 45-year-old Pat Mahaney reportedly told police they ambushed the man because they were bored....

Lamont Champion, 13 and heavily tattooed, wrote after a report of the attack was featured on local news: “MAN WE WAS JUST ON THE NEWS FOE HITTIN DAT MAN OMG BRA WE BOUT TO GET SUM TIME WE WAS ON DA NEWS IDK WADD TO DO MAN D— I GOT TO MUCH S— PLANNED AN ON MY MINE (LMS) TO PRAY FOE US.”

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/201...-beats-white-man-unconscious-they-were-bored/

Some gang members like bacon. Does that make bacon lovers look bad?

 

[tommyguns]

beav so your point of the article is.......there are a million stories about tattooed people doing bad, tattooed people doing good and vise versa. The point of the article was more about a racial beating then the tattoos. The pic i posted of ted bundy the clean cut handsome guy who worked on political campaigns, we see how stable that guy was and no tattoos.

as mentioned its not wanting people to accept our choices of being tattooed or not, its about respecting out decisions and not discriminating against a person for the choices they made because of a false notion of what something stands for.

and meaning no dissrespect at all in any way shape or form but same could be said about race, religion, gender or age that if you start to stereotype based off of a story like that one then you will be a very judgemental person.( not meaning you im giving a general observation).

now dont get me wrong in no way am I a free love save the earth kind of guy, I get told all the time Im not a very friendly looking person I was told on here I would not be the kind of guy you would want to meet in a dark alley lol. I understand that people might look at me and be standoffish I accept that, all i dont understand is why people cant be accepting of others. people are scared of "dirty cops" and tattoos play into the image... no people are just scared of cops in general, its the power of authority, fact is dont get in trouble you wont have to worrie.

people associate tattoos with criminals i get that everybody can have an opinion, there like ***.....well you know the rest. times have changed gay/straight, tattooed/ clean cut, black/white, man/women discrimination is a thing of the past you wanna judge in you head fine in your own home rock out with it, its your castle. To tell a person they cant do a job because of something so trivial its sad that people still are so judge mental (once again not an attack on anybody please dont take it personal). I dont care who you are everybody judges people. You see a shady person you will be more alert its instinct its what keeps the strong alive but but dont discriminate move on with your life stay out of theres if it bothers you.

 

[tommyguns]

and a side note i love me some bacon but i promise I am not a gang member just trying to clear my name here

 

[Go West Young Man]

Cops are supposed to represent law and order and be a sober calming influence on society.

I have a hard time squaring that position with someone purposely choosing to present themselves as having an alternative /counterculture outlook.

 

[PFP_Dad]

I hire security personnel and frequently place them into law enforcement positions. That being said, several clients have a no visible tattoo policy, that means if I'm hiring for that position and you aren't willing or able to cover it, you don't get the job.

In my personal opinion placement and content go a long way in my initial reaction to those with lots of tattoos. I have one, my wife has two and we're both planning for more; but all current/future are covered by shorts and a T-Shirt in my case and a long sleeve shirt in hers. This is mainly due to our acknowledgement of societal norms and wanting to keep open as many job prospects as possible.

Unfortunately for those with visible ink, the rules are put in place by those in power. These people generally tend to be the older generation that are likely to be less accepting of "New" freedoms and societal norms. Right or not, the employer gets the final say.

 

[Penguinetti]

I seriously don't get the link people make between ink and general bad behaviour...

I believe that comes down to what kind of person was known for getting visible tattoos in the first place (the majority was that of gangsters, bikers, and outlaws). The stereotype continued on and has brought about the perception behind tattoos and (typically) older generations.

so what if a lot of gangsters have tatts, a lot of them have brown hair too. If someone dyed their hair brown we don't assume they're gangster-wannabes.

That's because dying your hair brown or some other natural looking color is not considered rebellious. If gangsters died their hair green to symbolize their gang colors, I bet some people would look at a cop with green hair in a nervous matter. Tattoos are the same (or were the same, to be more specific). Although this country was founded by 'rebels', society expected the average gentleman to be civilized and refined. That meant no tattoos. So who had tattoos? Rebels. The people who decided not to adhere to 'civilized culture'. And this again brings us back to the stereotype of who (typically) would get tattoos. Granted, it's an old way of thinking, but there are still people in our societies who think along these lines.

I have 2 tatts and I waited until I was in my thirties to get them. I have an appointment in November for my third (my artist is booked up a year in advance...ugh) both are representative of life-altering situations and are extremely meaningful to me. I show them off every chance I get and if people don't want to see them, they can look the other way.

... as mentioned its not wanting people to accept our choices of being tattooed or not, its about respecting out decisions and not discriminating against a person for the choices they made because of a false notion of what something stands for.

I believe you both are bringing this to a higher level of debate here (and one I tend to agree with you on). I also love my tattoo, and I love showing mine to anyone who will look. But the debate here is should those being put into a position where perception is as important as reality (peace-keeping is more than just being able to stop an incident) should have tattoos which are visible while they are working in the limelight. I work for the government, and as such there are certain things I am not allowed to do or say (or risk losing my job) that other citizens can. It's the nature of the beast.

IMHO a cop who has tatts shows he's lived a little, it makes them more relatable.

Yes, and a cop who has smoked marijuana and has done drugs in the past is more relatable and is more knowledgeable when telling others not to do drugs. But not everyone in society feels this way. And while you are not unnerved by someone who is straight-edge, there are money people who are put on edge by a law official with a less than 'straight-edge' appearance.

... The pic i posted of ted bundy the clean cut handsome guy who worked on political campaigns, we see how stable that guy was and no tattoos.

And part of the reason it took forever to catch him was because no one suspected such a sensible looking guy. It again comes down to perception. Clean cut is perceived as sensible, stable, and able to make clear judgement calls.

... and meaning no dissrespect at all in any way shape or form but same could be said about race, religion, gender or age that if you start to stereotype based off of a story like that one then you will be a very judgemental person.( not meaning you im giving a general observation).

The difference here is that tattoos are chosen. You make a willing decision as to what you put on your body. Race, gender (with some exceptions) and age are aspects that you cannot change. And religion can have it's own forum for the in-depth discussion that entails.

... people are scared of "dirty cops" and tattoos play into the image... no people are just scared of cops in general, its the power of authority, fact is dont get in trouble you wont have to worrie.

People who do questionable things are afraid of the police. But those who are law-abiding citizens are afraid of 'dirty cops', the same as they are worried about gangs and organized crime. Again, if there was no such thing as a 'dirty cop', I don't think we would be having this discussion, as people would probably have one view only of police officers (unless those people were criminals; then they would have another view).

... people associate tattoos with criminals i get that everybody can have an opinion, there like ***.....well you know the rest. times have changed gay/straight, tattooed/ clean cut, black/white, man/women discrimination is a thing of the past you wanna judge in you head fine in your own home rock out with it, its your castle. To tell a person they cant do a job because of something so trivial its sad that people still are so judge mental (once again not an attack on anybody please dont take it personal). I dont care who you are everybody judges people. You see a shady person you will be more alert its instinct its what keeps the strong alive but but dont discriminate move on with your life stay out of theres if it bothers you.

Again, I agree with you that times have changed. But not everybody has. And although a clean-cut law enforcement officer does not intimidate you, a tattoo-riddled police officer who has visible signs of what used to be 'rebel-related' might intimidate that 70yo lady down the street. It's easier just to hide those tats while you are on duty.

and a side note i love me some bacon but i promise I am not a gang member just trying to clear my name here

You monster!

Cops are supposed to represent law and order and be a sober calming influence on society.

I have a hard time squaring that position with someone purposely choosing to present themselves as having to an alternative /counterculture outlook.

Lol... Basically, this in a nutshell.

They way I look at it, if the police force doesn't have a problem with the tats, who am I to argue with a man with a loaded gun, body armor, and back-up?

ROFL-copter.

 

[Go West Young Man]

If someone dyed their hair brown we don't assume they're gangster-wannabes..

That's the wrong comparison, amore apt analogy would be dying your hair purple and spiking it into a mohawk.
There are connotations and associations with those looks that most of society doesn't want an officer of the law to present.

 

[SheWolf]

Can I just point out that cops are not here to have a calming soothing fuzzy influence on people and be the beacon of righteousness and role models for our society. cops are people who are hired to uphold the law and protect the public. period. personally I don't even understand why they have to wear uniforms but whatever.

as far as the origin of the stereotype, yeah, I pretty much figure that, however as people mature they should also clean house in their established beliefs. Whatever they hold on to when it comes to prejudice, they chose to do so and the buck stops there.

as for bacon, I say we start a petition to establish it as a major food group.

 

[SheWolf]

That's the wrong comparison, amore apt analogy would be dying your hair purple and spiking it into a mohawk.
There are connotations and associations with those looks that most of society doesn't want an officer of the law to present.

wow, you truly compare having a tatt to having purple hair spiked into a mohawk? okay, that explains a few things. I guess we're just not all on the same wavelength about the meaning of ink. the punk look is meant to be counter-culture, having your wife's name tattoed on your arm shouldn't be in my opinion but I think I'm getting too invested in this discussion...

live and let live, peace out!

 

[Penguinetti]

...as for bacon, I say we start a petition to establish it as a major food group.

I will be the first to sign (or second, since you might be first).

 

[Doc4]

... people are scared of "dirty cops" and tattoos play into the image... no people are just scared of cops in general, its the power of authority, fact is dont get in trouble you wont have to worrie.

Not that this is part of the current tattoo discussion, but ...

From time to time the police do make mistakes, do over-react, do abuse their power. We all wish it weren't so, but ... it happens.

Sure, most cops are decent, honest, hard-working, and level-headed. There are some that are not. Every once in a while, people who shouldn't have to worry, end up having to worry ... sometimes a lot.

Can I just point out that cops are not here to have a calming soothing fuzzy influence on people and be the beacon of righteousness and role models for our society.

Yes they are ... why else would we call them "the fuzz"??

Seriously, though, there's a lot more to policing than just guns-a-blazing going after the bad guys and growling at jay-walkers. They do a lot of the 'touchy-feely' stuff now, too.

 

[oc_in_fw]

and a side note i love me some bacon but i promise I am not a gang member just trying to clear my name here

I knew I should keep an eye on you

 

[tommyguns]

oc_in_fw if anybody asks i was never here and this conversation never took place!!

 

[Arcadies]

I see no problem unless it's goatse or something similarly offensive.

 

[tommyguns]

ok so everybody has good points but to stay on topic but go off subject what about visible tattoos in the work force in general? allot of people think cops should not have them because of what the job represents but what about another form of employment, or is it visible tattoos as a whole.

tattoos have been worn dated to all most 2500 years ago representing nobility, tribe, status,job or punishments. Most tattoos were worn with pride showing you have achieved something you are proud of. Still true to this day most people get tattoos of things they love or are meaningful not always but in most cases so what is it that offends the non tattooed so much that they feel the need to discriminate, or turn up there noses at the tattooed person? I would like to know because I guess I never really asked before. I know how I feel about issues towards people and life styles but I am not very judgmental and very open minded so for me to see taboo people or taboo life styles I find it interesting even if I don't agree with them. I feel thats what makes life great that we all can be so different yet have so much in common.

 

[OkieStubble]

As a training officer, I can say that departmental tattoo policies are in place as a standard uniform policy. Officers are to look the same and be trained the same. This is the idea of departments with tattoo policies. Police officers do not get the luxury of individual artistic expression.

 

[Kenno]

Put it this way,

If you were running your own business with your own money, dealing with the public would you be showing off your skull n crossbones or gangster tatts? If you were a motorbike shop ala crusty demon, no probs, goes with the territory but if you were a lawyer, doctor, petshop owner or banker, maybe not? I don’t have a problem with tatts but I don’t think they look good or fitting on a cop.

Funny thing is if you were one of the best doctors in town and everyone was raving about you and you were saving lives left right and centre then I wouldn’t care if you had a tattoo on your forehead if you saved my life. Same with the cop and I’d probably get your name tattooed, then again probably not.