A Muslim policeman who sued the New York City Police Department after he was suspended for refusing to shave his beard has been reinstated and the department has agreed to review its ban on beards, his lawyers said on Thursday.
A judge last week ordered the NYPD to continue paying Officer Masood Syed his salary and benefits after he sued the department, claiming that the no-beard policy was unconstitutional.
“It seems like the department has taken the crucial first step in addressing an important and growing concern of officers of many different faiths,” Syed said in a statement released by his attorneys.
“I am hopeful that the department’s new policy will, in fact, allow myself and other officers to wear our beards at a reasonable length without the fear of retaliation or hostility,” he said.
An NYPD spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday evening.
