NYPD’s hairy deal

Agrees Muslim cops can have longer beards

THE CITY has settled a class action lawsuit alleging that NYPD limits on beard length violated Muslim cops’ civil rights, officials confirmed.

The Jan. 2 settlement stems from a June 2016 lawsuit filed by Masood Syed, a Muslim cop claiming he was unjustly suspended for wearing a beard more than 1 millimeter long.

That length was the unofficial exception for religious reasons to the NYPD’s “no beard” rule, Syed, 33, claimed in his Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit.

Shortly after Syed filed suit, he was reinstated as a department law clerk, and the NYPD launched an internal review of its policy on facial hair.

The NYPD launched a new facial hair policy in December 2016, allowing facial hair of up to onehalf inch for religious beliefs with the department’s approval.

The settlement is effectively an official agreement that the NYPD will continue using its revised facial hair policies.

A judge still has to sign off on the settlement. After it’s official, the court will monitor religious facial hair accommodations for 18 months.

Cops can request permission for longer facial hair, which would be examined case-by-case. The department has not denied any requests for additional length since the policy change, officials said. Officers in units that require gas masks still can’t have beards, officials said, because they can get in the way of the seal on the masks.

Syed, 33, might receive money in a separate agreement at a later date. The city has agreed to pay his fees and costs in relation to the case, court documents indicate.

“We are pleased with the resolution of this case,” a city Law Department spokesman said about the settlement. “The agreed upon reforms balance the operational needs of the police department with the religious beliefs and needs of officers.”

The NYPD declined to comment on the lawsuit, and referred The News to its policy on facial hair.

“I'm hopeful that this settlement will allow current and future NYPD officers to feel free to express their religious beliefs openly,” Syed said. “It is one step closer to allowing the NYPD to resemble the communities it polices.”

The NYPD policy allowing for longer beards also permits cops to wear turbans for religious reasons. Turbans, often used by Sikhs to cover their hair, have to be navy blue and support a departmental insignia.