Officers May Look Fuzzy, but Their Mission to Help Is Clear

Lately, many people heading into Pasadena--including two Secret Service agents assigned to protect President Clinton on a recent visit--have been stroking their chins and gawking at some of the city’s finest.

What’s that standing out so prominently on those faces? A Charlie Chaplin mustache? A goatee? A Van Dyke?

Since early November, Pasadena police officers have been letting their hair down a bit in a fund-raising effort to benefit Villa Esperanza, a local nonprofit agency that provides education and care for children and adults with special developmental needs.

“No one would ever have thought that we can raise $20,000 by growing a beard, but that’s what we did . . . for the Vietnam War Memorial,” said Police Chief Jerry A. Oliver, who is sporting a goatee again this year for another good cause. The beard has “speckles of white, which is unusual for a fairly young face,” the 47-year-old chief said. “I look quite dapper,” he added proudly.

“It’s sexy,” commented a woman passerby, who promised to donate money to the cause.

In its second annual Fuzz for Funds campaign, Pasadena officers hope to raise $30,000 for Villa Esperanza, contest organizer Janet Pope-Hinton said. Contestants pay a $30 entry fee for a chance to grow a mustache, a goatee, or a beard and they may wear them while on duty until Jan. 31--shaving day.

(Under the department’s policy, officers may not sport facial hair, except for a well-trimmed mustache that must be kept above the corner of the mouth.)

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People can support the fund-raising effort by voting with their dollars for their favorite fuzz. Each dollar buys a vote and you can vote as often as you like, Pope-Hinton said.

The three officers who raise the most money in each category will receive a cellular phone, 13” color TV and a portable AM-FM cassette player donated by the Stereo House Co. of Pasadena.

Female officers can designate a fellow officer or a man outside the department to grow hair on their behalf.

“I am slightly jealous,” said Officer Tory Riley, who believes there should be some sort of contest for female officers.

Some of the men are trying to adjust to their new facial fuzz. “It didn’t look as good at first, but two weeks later when it settles in, it looks great,” Officer Tom Peterson said of his beard. “Except the wind sometimes tickles it.”

Growing a beard isn’t as easy for Officer Glenn Thompson, who “bearded” it for three weeks and has finally trimmed it into a goatee.

“It was so itchy,” said Thompson, contorting his face. “And my wife complained it was too rough on her face. So I got up at 2 o’clock in the morning and shaved it off.”

But he did get a couple of votes, the officer said, in the form of donations from those two Secret Service agents.

The contest has other benefits, too. “I can sleep an extra five minutes” by not having to shave, said Gilbert Ortiz, a 10-year police veteran.

Officer Vince Cantu didn’t have a choice in this hairy matter. The five-year veteran cop said his girlfriend ordered him to grow his beard when she learned that the contest was on again this year.

Not everyone in Pasadena is totally happy about the new cop look.

“I am used to seeing police officers cleanshaven for 31 years,” said Ellen Favarote, a clerk for the Pasadena Municipal Court. “It’s funny to see them with facial hair now. But if it’s for a good cause, that’s OK.”