Expert: Dick Rogers - 3/4/2010

Question
My question is simple, I am currently serving in the US Army and have been in for 5 years now. All I want to know is will I be able to become a Police Officer with tattoos on both hands? I oce applied for the Yonkers Police Department (yonkers, NY), passed the written and physical exams but chose to stay in the Army. At that time I did not have any tattoos on my hands. Now, I want to re-apply and my long term goal is to become SWAT. is this still possible?

Answer
Chase, tattoos are so common today, I can't imagine that having them on your hands would be a cause for rejection for hire.  Perhaps 30 years ago...but today I doubt it.  This, of course, presuming that all other things in your background, etc. are sterling.  To get a better understanding, you might call a recruitment unit for a large department and ask them flat out if there is a policy and would your tattoos cause a rejection for hire.  Good luck