Meh, I still think of the Village People and Freddie Mercury when it comes to mustaches.
TY! Morkfromork and Ender_Will that makes alot of sense. however, who decided to do it first?
I think of the pictures of Wyatt Earp when I think of early lawmen with the ‘stach’
minor hijack//
while talking with a friend regarding this question, they stated something rather humorous that I shall recant here;
“Do you have any idea HOW hard it is to get LAID with a handlebar mustach?!?!”
/minor hijack
-x out
In regards to who started it first, I’ve got another WAG. I have images (mental, not online or any such) of of moustached British police from “a long time ago.” Now, I’ve never been to England, but I hear it gets kind of chilly in the winter. Having facial hair helps keep the face warm, so if I were out in the cold, I would want as much as possible. But, it wouldn’t suprise me at all if the Queen or somebody decided that beards were inapropriate for policemen. So, I want facial hair, but can’t grow a beard, moustache is the next best thing, and maybe some muttonchops, if I could get away with it. Another WAG (possibly TMI) is that when it gets cold, your (or at least my) nose runs. A 'stache could, uhh, how to put this, reduce the need to wipe/blow the nose.
This is kind of pointless, and I meant to include it in my previous post, but…
Ever seen “Supertroopers”? That guy asked “Who wants a moustache ride?” and people were on it!
I think I like raisinbread’s answer the best! Moustaches also remind me of Trans Am cars (replete with screaming chicken hood decal) and dudes named Rick.
This thread is hilarious to anyone old enough to remember that for decades and decades no policeman anywhere would ever be caught dead in public with facial hair. [hyperbole alert]This ended shortly after cops spent the decade of the 60s beating and forcibly shaving all those dirty filthy hippies who had all that awful long hair.[end alert]
Customs change. Police went into the 20th century generally wearing mustaches and went out the same way, but for huge long stretches in between facial hair was anathema.
I agree with raisinbread’s response, with a slight variation: mustaches are highly correlated with being gay, being homophobic, or being both. Draw whatever conclusions you like about our men in blue. 
Which brings up the old joke:
…to hide the stretch marks…
And damn if I didn’t post the same goddamn punch line in the old thread, too :smack: !
Yes, you are. You all are.
Or so some bio-sociologists would say.
Facial hair is a sign of testosterone at work. Secondary male characteristics that are controlled by testosterone are not only sexually appealing (i.e., in aggregate, there are some cultural and individual tastes that vary) but scary.
The reason is that testosterone is not only a sign of fertility, but a sign of aggression: think alpha male, think killing the mammoth, think power tools.
Facial hair, hairy body, large chin, protuding brow, large muscles, deep voice, jackass stunts – these are all examples of testosterone at work.
Do you think some baby faced recruit is going to be getting respect when the ladies are going “awwww” and the men are thinking, “don’t push me, boy”?
Maturity, power, top dog, respect – that’s what a moustache will do for you.
It also gives your tongue something to play with when your bored.
Peace.
You have two choices: hormones that make you once a month both weepy and bitchy, or, hormones that constantly make you a competitive jerk.
I was thinking along the same lines as Bosda. Whenever I find myself thinking “what if I were to…” and how I’d handle being in some illegal or dangerous situation, one of the first things I’d plan to do would be to shave off my beard and moustache. I suppose an officer might keep a moustache for their up-front police work, then shave it off when they begin an undercover assignment. Of course, I suppose once an officer becomes well-known enough for people on the street to recognize him, undercover operations are pretty much out of the question.
I know too many wimps, passive schlubs, silly fools, and Hassidim with moustaches and beards to believe that facial hair = testosterone and agression, moriah.
The moustache catches donut crumbs which they can enjoy later.
They all share the same mustache?
My brother was a cadet for Denver PD a few years back, and that department policy was: no beards for uniformed officers, only moustaches. Since my brother was only 20 when he was doing this, he would go on busts with undercover cops to try and catch liquor stores that would sell him, a minor, alcoholic products. He told me that most of these undercover officers looked nothing like cops: they were allowed to have huge beards and look as unkempt as they wish.
I think part of the no-beard policy is to create a stereotype of what police look like, so it’s easier for the undercover types to get around unnoticed. All speculation of course, but a valid point (or so I think).
Minor side-note: No-beard policies are considered to be racially bias by some, since black, hispanic, and middle-eastern men usually have thicker beards than most and shaving can be painful due to ingrown hairs and skin sensitivity. Perhaps this is why many departments have changed this policy in recent years.
My Administration of Justice teacher worked undercover narcotics in the (I believe) late 1960’s/early 70’s. He described himself as having “a full beard, shoulder-length hair, and those little round glasses Lennon wore”…doesn’t sound like typicall PD dress code, so I’d say undercover cops can change their appearance to basically whatever works best.
I wish I had something factual to contribute to this thread. Jeez! I feel like handy!
When my Kiwanis Club worked at the Ballpark in Arlington (Texas, that is, home of the Texas Rangers), we were warned very seriously every year about sting operations carried out by the Arlington Police Department.
For whatever reason, the APD seemed to think that harrassing - no, sorry - arresting, jailing, and fining members of volunteer organizations seeking to raise money for their cause by operating the concession stands at the Ballpark was somehow worth their time.
As a result, SportService, the company which used us to staff the concessions stands (we earned a commission) made it standing policy to ask anyone wishing to purchase alcohol for proper identification if they looked younger than 40 years old. They didn’t want us taking any chances.
Part of my task, as Club President, was to ensure that this was being done, and I remember one day suggesting to a fellow member running the cash register to card a man who wanted to buy beer. My reason?
“He’s a cop. He has a ‘Cop Mustache.’”
To everyone’s astonishment, when the customer produced ID, it turned out he was, in fact, an off-duty Arlington police officer. Since he was over the age of 30, however, no harm was done.
I always believed the no-beards policy for police was due to the influence of the military. At least where I have lived, a big percentage of cops have come out of the military at some point. I know currently military men can wear mustaches, but was this the case in the 1950’s or 1960’s?