The men in blue in Portland have been asked to curtail their use of blue language in response to complaints by citizens. Two separate reviews of the police department concluded that the use of obscenities was one of the top complaints against the Portland police department.
The Los Angeles Times reports that since January 1, police officers have been required to "self report" each time they use a swear word. If found guilty of swearing unnecessarily, the officer would be required to seek counseling and in extreme cases would receive an official reprimand.
Most police departments in the United States officially ban the use of obscene language by those in their department, but hardly any enforce it. Portland is one of the few cities that actually allows obscene langue to be used on the job.
While the new regulation calls for cops to turn themselves in for cursing, no one has bother to figure out how to record the information or track it, leading the local union to call the policy frivolous. One union official told the Times that most police intend to ignore it.
"With everything going on in this city - drug-dealing, gang violence, homicides - we're having a discussion about officers using profanity," union president Robert King, a 13-year police veteran told the Times. "We find that troublesome."
The police union feels that obscenities are a very effective means of communication.
