Sardars In The NYPD?

[Brother Onam]

Forgive me if this has been mentioned elsewhere (I haven't seen it), but in recent news, as well as other Sikh sites, I've seen an item announcing a big victory for Sikhs: The New York Police Department has, after much discussion, allowed Sikh officers to wear a one-inch beard! To me, this sounds kind of ridiculous. A one-inch beard to a Sikh is non-different than a shaved face. Either you keep kesh or you don't. Is this a victory?
That would be like telling vegetarian police officers: You may now observe a vegetarian diet, as long as you consume 10% meats.

 

[RD1]

I hardly consider this a victory, perhaps a small step in the right direction. There are though Sikhs who do not keep a full beard as it is.

It boggles my mind that a beard is such a huge issue that an officer cannot exert autonomy over, especially in this day and age.