San Jose Police officers who are part of the body art generation are having to adapt to new rules coming from the police chief that tattoos can no longer be visible when they are in uniform.

The San Jose Police Department recently adopted a policy that prohibits cops from displaying tattoos while on duty. So officers with tattoos will either have to wear long-sleeved shirts year-round to cover up or have them removed.

Responding to unhappy officers, Police Chief Rob Davis last week agreed to exempt cops with tattoos the chief decides are not offensive to the public.

Over the past several months, the matter of officers and tattoos has become a nationwide issue in law enforcement and the military. Many agencies, including the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office, California Highway Patrol and Los Angeles Police Department, have adopted policies prohibiting personnel from showing off body art while on duty.

“It’s absolutely one of the big issues,” said Bobby Lopez, president of the 1,360-member San Jose Police Officers Association. “It’s been coming for a while, only because the next generation always goes over the top.”

But Chief Davis believes the policy, which went into effect Sept. 23, is necessary. Davis first became aware of the issue after hearing people in the community voice concerns about the tattoos being displayed by officers. After looking internally, Davis found that “the concerns people voiced were valid.”

“We cannot settle for anything less when it comes to the presentation of our officers in the community, and how we are perceived in the community,” Davis said.

The Marine Corps cited similar concerns when it banned new, extra-large tattoos below the elbow or the knee earlier this year.

Even the Marine Corps is banning tattoos? Wow.