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New York State Police is actively reviewing its policy to accommodate troopers of all religious faiths, the agency said Thursday, after pushback from the Sikh community for barring troopers from growing facial hair.
State Trooper Charanjot Singh Tiwana, of Buffalo, is a practicing Sikh. State police have prohibited him from growing marginal facial hair in keeping with his religious beliefs.
Beards and turbans are sacred in the Sikh faith, but facial hair can pose a safety risk for police officers who need to wear a gas mask.
"In this day and age, with the diversity of the state, it’s kind of outrageous in this particular case," Assemblyman David Weprin told Spectrum News 1.
Weprin, a Queens Democrat, sponsored a law in 2019 that prohibits employers in the state from discriminating against a worker’s religious attire or facial hair.
The Western New York trooper was put on desk duty while he grew a half-inch beard four weeks before his wedding.
Weprin said the law is clear, and state police are openly violating it.
"The state is violating CJ’s rights," the assemblyman said. "He could bring his own lawsuit [against the state] and I’m quite sure he’d win that lawsuit, but he doesn’t want to do that. He just wants to be a state trooper and do his job."
Weprin added he hasn’t heard of public and private offices having issues with compliance.
State police is actively reviewing its internal policy.
"The State Police is aware of the issues raised in the Sikh Coalition’s letter and our policy continues to be under active review," state police spokesman Beau Duffy said Thursday.
A source familiar with the agency’s conversations said state police are working to find a solution to accommodate troopers of all faiths while safely wearing gas or face masks needed on the job.
The state is required to follow the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration policy that mandates law enforcement officers to be clean shaven in order to wear safety masks.
Updates to the agency’s policy are possible by the end of the year.
The Sikh Coalition, the faith’s largest civil rights group in the nation, sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul earlier this month pushing state police to follow state law that prohibits workplace discrimination against religious attire or facial hair.
The coalition argues Sikh articles of faith don’t impede police duties.
"Gov. Hochul’s top priority is keeping all New Yorkers safe — including State employees — and our administration follows all applicable state and federal laws related to workplace safety," Matt Janiszewski, Hochul’s upstate press secretary, said in a statement. "State Police is aware of the concerns raised by this trooper and they are actively reviewing the current policy."
Weprin sent a letter to Hochul’s office last month, urging her to get involved and force state police to follow the law that protects officers from religious discrimination.
"There are law enforcement and military in Israel that have Hasidic Jews with beards who have used gas masks and it’s never been a problem," the assemblyman said. "So to me, the gas mask, [state police] are just using that as an excuse because it doesn’t fit their image of a state trooper."
Charles Murphy, president of the New York State Police Troopers Police Benevolent Association, said it’s unacceptable that Trooper Singh Tiwana continues to work without religious accommodation.
"He’s a dedicated public servant who just wants to be a state trooper and provide the citizens of the state protection," the union president said. "He’s willing to make other accommodations. He’s willing to carry a quick shave kit, to shave every year if it’s for qualifications," Murphy said. "…He’s agreed that if there was some type of riot or, you know, event, he would instantly shave. That is not the problem. He is being very, almost over-the-top, compliant in his attempt to allow him to practice his faith."
N.Y. police reviewing religious attire policy after Sikh pushback – Spectrum News
