Despite state legislation mandating employers to permit employees to follow religious grooming obligations, the New York State Police has been accused of forbidding one of its employees, a Sikh, from growing a beard, according to the Associated Press.
According to the New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association, Charanjot Tiwana, a state trooper for six years, wanted to grow a beard to the length of for his wedding in 2022. But his request was turned down on the basis that it posed a safety issue regarding the use of a gas mask. According to the union's president Charlie Murphy, Mr. Tiwana, had not formally asked for permission to wear a turban while performing his job. This was due to the refusal to grow a beard.
The Union’s president also said, “All New Yorkers, including law enforcement officers, must be free from employer oppression when practicing their religion.”
As part of commitment to their religion, Sikh men do not trim their beard or hair. They also wear turbans. However, this practice conflicts with the state police grooming standards, which call for short hair and a shaven appearance.
“No one should be compromising their religion to serve their country,” said Gurvinder Singh, a New York police department sergeant and president of the Sikh Officers Association at a news conference. “Hopefully one day you will see whole turban and bearded Sikhs as New York state troopers.”
The New York State Police confirmed that Tiwana requested a religious accommodation, but a spokesperson for the department declined to comment on the request's outcome, including when or why it was turned down.
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Police spokesman Deanna Cohen said the department encourages diversity and inclusion within its ranks and uses the procedure of reasonable accommodations. She claims that the NYSP is also developing a turban policy.
Early 20th-century US law enforcement agencies widely enacted regulations prohibiting facial hair, in part to maintain a military-style appearance among officials. The question of whether those regulations are arbitrary and have the unintended consequence of excluding particular racial and religious groups has been up for dispute for almost as long. Various rules have been loosened by several police agencies recently, or they have been forced to make adjustments by legal lawsuits.
A state law was passed in 2019 mandating that all New York companies, including state agencies, accommodate employees with religious requirements for dress or facial hair, provided that those restrictions don't interfere with essential job duties. The law required employers to examine and amend their grooming and dress code rules after it was passed.