Finest in turbans OK for religious reasons

FOR THE first time, cops who want to wear turbans for religious reasons on the job can do so, as long as they get approval, the city’s top cop said.

The new policy also codifies how long beards can be. Beards can be no longer than a half-inch for religious reasons, and no longer than 1 millimeter, or about a third of an inch, for medical reasons.

The NYPD previously barred beards because they interfere with the seal on gas masks. Officers in elite units that call for the masks, such as anti-terrorism, are still exempt from having beards, a police source said.

The turbans, which Sikhs wear to cover their hair, must be navy blue and able to have an insignia attached to it.

“It’s a major change,” Police Commissioner James O’Neill said. “Hopefully, with this change in policy, we’ll get more people to apply.”

O’Neill made the comments standing with six current Sikh officers in turbans following a Police Academy graduation ceremony Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

The move is another sign that the NYPD is becoming more tolerant of its officers’ personal preferences.

In July, the department said it had reinstated a Muslim cop suspended without pay for having a beard, and announced it was reviewing its policies on facial hair.

Police Officer Masood Syed was put back on full duty June 24.

Syed, a 10-year veteran of the NYPD who worked in the department as a law clerk, filed a federal discrimination suit against the department in June, claiming he was suspended and ordered to shave his beard, which he wears in observance of his Sunni Muslim faith.

Public Advocate Letitia James had sent a letter to thenPolice Commissioner Bill Bratton demanding that Syed be reinstated.

“We are a large and diverse people of many faiths and traditions. If the (Defense Department) can permit our armed forces to grow beards and even wear turbans, surely the NYPD may make such an accommodation,” James wrote.