The New York Police Department has come up with a new rule to govern prisoners who object to having their pictures taken by a member of the opposite sex, or who refuse to remove their head covers.
The policy change, which applies to men and women of all faiths, was sparked by a concern by Muslim women who say it’s against their religion to remove their hijab in front of men.
“This was just a really difficult process for them to go through,” said Susan Herman, deputy commissioner for collaborative policing, “and they wondered whether there was anything that could be done to change it and to accommodate their concerns.
“We came up with a policy that can be more broadly applied to anyone who has a religious head covering who desires to have their photograph taken by a member of the same gender.”
Under the new rule, those who will only remove their head covering in private or insist on the photo being taken by a member of the same sex will be taken to 1 Police Plaza, where there are more female photographers, and space for pictures to be taken in private.
The NYPD requires a mug shot be taken both with and without any head covering worn by the suspect. The picture must provide an unobstructed view of the head, ears and face.
