A campaign by the brass at the New Rochelle Police Department to increase the number of tickets issued for driving while talking on a cell phone has led to a a rift within the department that has now morphed into a new policy to prohibit tattoos on police officers setting off widespread dissension among the rank-and-file within the department.
Recently, an internal review within New Rochelle Police Department concluded that the department was not writing enough tickets for driving while talking on a cell phone. During roll call, police officers were put on notice that they needed to step up enforcement of the law against driving while talking on a cell phone (note to teens: presumably that also includes driving while text thing). While many drivers will no doubt applaud a crackdown on reckless behavior while driving, the rank-and-file within the department were unhappy with the way in which the decision was communicated. Things came to ahead after the girlfriend of a son of New Rochelle’s Deputy Police Commissioner, Anthony D. Murphy, was issued a ticket for driving while talking on her cell phone.
The officer who issued the ticket was, according to sources, "chewed out" for issuing this particular ticket. But, by the time matters came to a head the ticket had been put through the state system so there was no simple way to tear up the ticket. The officer was verbally abused for writing the ticket, again according to sources.
The officer has multiple tattoos. In what is seen by many as a retaliatory measure, the department has suddenly taken an interest in tattoos on the bodies of its officers. Tattoos have now been deemed to be "intimidating" and "offensive" and, as a result, police officers are now prohibited from getting tattooed.
Ironically, the new policy includes a grandfather clause so it will not apply to the tattoos on the officer who wrote the ticket. Officers with tattoos now will be able to keep them by they will not be allowed to get any new tattoos. In what is sure to be a controversial decision, the department plans on photographing the tattoos of all officers so the department will later be able to determine if the officer has any new tattoos.