No more jackets for Makati cops

Though he has nothing against trying to look cool, Makati City Police chief Superintendent Gilbert Cruz ordered his men yesterday to put an end to their practice of wearing jackets while on duty.

"Hindi pwede ang japorms. (Looking cool is unacceptable.) A police officer is a police officer, not an action star," he told The STAR in an interview after informing his station commanders and other unit heads of the new rule.

Cruz said he decided to issue the order to counter public perception that cops wearing jackets are trying to hide their nameplates to escape punishment for wrongdoing.

"I have informed all station commanders to advise their personnel to refrain from wearing jackets. The perception is that they are hiding their nameplates or their identities."

Cruz added he also based his new policy on how he himself observed police officers who wear coats even on a hot day.

According to him, seeing a police officer in a coat at noon doesn’t look right or proper at all especially for those in patrol.

"I also informed the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team and the mobile patrol unit of this new policy we are implementing."

Cruz said police officers, of course, may wear jackets if it’s raining or if the weather is undoubtedly cold.

However, he emphasized, the jackets must also identify the wearer as police officers. That means the jackets must be police jackets.

He added that his directive likewise seeks to put an end to the wearing of so-called "Type-B uniforms" or the wearing of plain white shirts under coats.

Cruz reminded policemen that they entered the organization to serve the public and not to look like "macho men" who just want to look good and feel good.

Earlier this year, Cruz imposed a rule against smoking while on duty especially when in patrol operations after receiving complaints from the public.

Late last year, Makati police officers arrested a man for impersonating a police officer. "These are the things we wish to prevent. We want our cops to be identifiable. Imposing simple rules will improve the way people look at our men," Cruz said.