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April 2, 2003, 07:07 AM
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/04/01/BA81483.DTL
Boss orders cops to hide flag scarfs
Some officers wore bandannas under helmets at war protests
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, April 1, 2003
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Do these colors run?
If they are red, white and blue and worn openly by San Francisco police officers, they will have to go.
Acting police Chief Alex Fagan on Monday said it was inappropriate for officers to don American flag bandannas while policing war protests.
On Monday, Fagan saw photographs showing about five officers who had taken off their helmets during a protest, displaying the colors underneath.
He said the department had heard from anti-war protesters and those who support the war in Iraq that the bandanna-flags should not be displayed by officers.
"I think it's inappropriate," Fagan said. "Here we are at war -- I just don't like it. The point is, we have a uniform. Even more troubling to me was that it is the flag. It offended not only the protesters, it offended the pro- war group."
"We're not making a big issue of it," he said. "It's not going to happen again. If they are wearing those bandannas, they should keep their helmets on."
The department has a strict policy that dictates what's acceptable to wear, Fagan said. None of the officers who wore the bandannas during the protests will be subject to discipline, he said.
Bonnie Weinstein, co-founder of Bay Area United Against War, said flag- wearing cops "might seem like kind of a threat, like they're saying 'You know what side I'm on.' "
"It's inflammatory, and it's obviously meant to annoy people," she added. "But I also feel police should have the right to express their opinions, even on the job. It's a matter of free speech."
Chris Cunnie, president of the Police Officers Association, said officers wear bandannas -- red white and blue or otherwise -- under their helmets for one reason: comfort.
"If somebody is wearing a bandanna for comfort, I don't see the issue," he said.
Michele Grey, manager of Kaplan's Surplus, said her store had sold about 70 of the bandannas to police officers since the protests started.
''They came in a couple of times; they bought quite a few," she said, adding that the cost is a buck. ''They are all wearing them under their helmets."
"It was something they did -- they said it got a lot of attention," she said. ''They just said people were all shocked when they took off their helmets."
Grey was reluctant to wade into the debate about what police should or should not wear.
"I don't know, it's not really for me to say," she said. "If they have rules about their dress code, they have to follow them."
Boss orders cops to hide flag scarfs
Some officers wore bandannas under helmets at war protests
Jaxon Van Derbeken, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, April 1, 2003
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do these colors run?
If they are red, white and blue and worn openly by San Francisco police officers, they will have to go.
Acting police Chief Alex Fagan on Monday said it was inappropriate for officers to don American flag bandannas while policing war protests.
On Monday, Fagan saw photographs showing about five officers who had taken off their helmets during a protest, displaying the colors underneath.
He said the department had heard from anti-war protesters and those who support the war in Iraq that the bandanna-flags should not be displayed by officers.
"I think it's inappropriate," Fagan said. "Here we are at war -- I just don't like it. The point is, we have a uniform. Even more troubling to me was that it is the flag. It offended not only the protesters, it offended the pro- war group."
"We're not making a big issue of it," he said. "It's not going to happen again. If they are wearing those bandannas, they should keep their helmets on."
The department has a strict policy that dictates what's acceptable to wear, Fagan said. None of the officers who wore the bandannas during the protests will be subject to discipline, he said.
Bonnie Weinstein, co-founder of Bay Area United Against War, said flag- wearing cops "might seem like kind of a threat, like they're saying 'You know what side I'm on.' "
"It's inflammatory, and it's obviously meant to annoy people," she added. "But I also feel police should have the right to express their opinions, even on the job. It's a matter of free speech."
Chris Cunnie, president of the Police Officers Association, said officers wear bandannas -- red white and blue or otherwise -- under their helmets for one reason: comfort.
"If somebody is wearing a bandanna for comfort, I don't see the issue," he said.
Michele Grey, manager of Kaplan's Surplus, said her store had sold about 70 of the bandannas to police officers since the protests started.
''They came in a couple of times; they bought quite a few," she said, adding that the cost is a buck. ''They are all wearing them under their helmets."
"It was something they did -- they said it got a lot of attention," she said. ''They just said people were all shocked when they took off their helmets."
Grey was reluctant to wade into the debate about what police should or should not wear.
"I don't know, it's not really for me to say," she said. "If they have rules about their dress code, they have to follow them."