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Uniform Tie Dangers for Police

Most police departments insist that their officers wear clip-on ties due to safety concerns with the traditional necktie. While an iconic part of the male wardrobe, a necktie increases the risk of personal injury, especially in a job as dangerous as police work. Criminals can use a necktie against an arresting office in a fight, but not all necktie dangers are so obvious. Regular use of a necktie can also affect personal health.

  1. Necktie Dangers and Fights

    • A necktie is essentially a very stylish noose. Going into a conflict wearing a tie leaves police officers vulnerable to attack. In a scuffle or fight, an assailant can use a necktie to pull a police officer off-balance or, in a worst-case scenario, use the tie to choke the officer to death. Clip-on neck ties avoid this risk, as the tie simply tears off without injury to the officer (and may even throw the assailant off balance if he expected the tie to remain attached).

    Tangled Ties

    • Even without physical confrontations police work is dangerous business. A police officer may be the first responder to a car accident, fire, explosion or similar disaster. A necktie can get snagged on sharp objects or tangled in wreckage. Ties can also get caught in moving machinery such as an escalator or elevator doors, leading to serious injury.

    Glaucoma Risks

    • A tight, traditional necktie has long term affects on personal health. A study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology indicates that tightly tied neckties obstruct blood flow through the jugular vein, causing increased blood pressure in the eyes. Over time, this increase in intraocular pressure can cause glaucoma. Glaucoma damages the optic nerve that transmits visual signals from the eye to the brain, impairing vision. Serious vision problems can end a police officer's career.

    Sick Ties

    • Doctors and other medical professionals increasingly avoid neckties after studies revealed that doctors' neckties harbor germs transmitted from patients. A germ-ridden neck tie puts both doctors and patients at risk of disease. While medical professionals' neckties were the only ties studied, police officers could run the same risk of germ and bacterial transmission when dealing with offenders, many of whom are not known for their personal hygiene standards.

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