Not Shaving in the Police Academy

I am writing this essay because I did not shave in the morning. The rules and policies for the Atlantic Police Academy require me to be clean shaven every day, to wear proper dress attire decided by the academy, and for my hair to be “neatly trimmed and tapered above the collar, sideburns no lower than a point at the middle of the ear.” Every student who goes to the academy has to abide by these rules, as well as everyone else in law enforcement because it shows professionalism, morale, and unity, also for hygiene purposes.

Professionalism is the level of excellence or competence that is expected of a professional, also your attitude and behavior to the people you serve. It is important when it comes to how a person is perceived by their employer, co-workers and by every other person they interact with in society. Professionalism is an attitude. It is the way you communicate with others, the way you do your job, and also the way you look. It could be compared with personal grooming in a general sense, as for some people, the quality of your shave may be the first thing they judge you on before you even speak. As a professional there are no excuses when it comes to mistakes; you own up to your mistakes, learn from them and figure out how to correct what it is you are doing wrong. Your appearance plays a large role when it comes to professionalism. Imagine you are an inmate and are approached by a correctional officer who is new on the job. He has a scruffy beard, messy, long hair and his uniform barely tucked in. The officer commands you to do something, throwing in unnecessary, rude, comments about you. That officer is not going to receive the respect he deserves. Another example would be if the officer treated inmates differently, picked favorites or cut deals with the inmates. This would result in an officer not doing his job properly and could face serious consequences. Simply put, being professional allows the job to be done well, and brings many...