The Houston Police Department has formalized a major policy change that will allow law enforcement officers to wear articles of faith while in uniform, the News India Times reports.
The announcement was made on Oct. 11, three weeks after county sheriff’s deputy Sandeep Dhaliwal was shot from behind during a routine traffic stop. According to the News India Times, Dhaliwal was the first Indian American of the Sikh faith permitted to wear his turban and beard in Houston police force uniform.
Houston police chief Art Acevedo told The Houston Chronicle that the department had been reviewing its apparel policy, partly because a local Sikh had applied to join the force. He added that Dhaliwal’s death inspired the department to expedite the process.
“Let’s not wait until we hire someone,” Acevedo said. “Let’s send the message that we’re an inclusive department, and we’re doing it in his honor and memory.”
The News India Times reports that earlier this month, nearly a hundred former and current Sikh service-members and law enforcement officials joined the Sikh Coalition to deliver a letter to the Department of Defense and national police agencies. The letter, written in tribute to Dhaliwal’s service, called for changes to accommodation policies for religious minorities.
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Under the policy change, Houston police officers will now be able to request exemptions to apparel policies on the grounds of firmly established religious beliefs or medical necessity.
“We are pleased that the nation’s fifth-largest police department has significantly expanded the ability for Sikhs and other religious minorities to serve with their articles of faith intact,” Sikh Coalition policy and advocacy manager Nikki Singh said in a press release. “We hope this policy change encourages other departments nationwide to implement inclusive accommodation policies so that those who wish to serve are able to do so.”
According to the Houston Chronicle, with this action, the Texas police department is joining the ranks of several other large law enforcement agencies that have made similar changes in recent years, including the NYPD, Chicago Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
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