One of the most famous police departments in the world is in New York City. When they are off-duty or even on duty, many times these police officers will wear t-shirts that have the NYPD logo or abbreviation and have an image or phrase displayed. Sometimes though, they can be offensive or explicit. To them it may not be offensive but others may see it as unprofessional. Of course, they have the right to wear whatever they want, especially when they aren’t at work, but on Jan. 19 an order was given that every officer needs approval by the Uniform and Equipment Review Committee before they can wear these t-shirts.
This has made many officers upset and are stating that it goes against their right of freedom of speech. Some of the t-shirts have statements like “Tomb of Gloom” for the 32nd Precinct in Hamilton Heights and another says “House of Pain” for the 30th Precinct in Harlem.
Pat Lynch, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, said that the order is “patently unlawful”. Many of these police officers wear their t-shirts with pride, but some are wearing them to make a clear statement of how they feel about their work environment. Is it fair that their superiors don’t feel the same way or don’t want to get in trouble for allowing the designs to continue? What do you think?