It’s a textbook case of ‘hair’assment, a Long Island cop claims in a new lawsuit.
Veteran officer Jeffrey Toscano says a skin condition is preventing him from shaving his beard, resulting in a hairy situation with his boss, who allegedly discriminated against him because of his scruff, he said in court papers.
Toscano, 52, who joined the Nassau County Police Department in 2005, was diagnosed 15 years later with angular cheilitis, a condition usually caused by a fungal infection that results in “itching, burning, pain, and skin fissures” when he shaves, according to the Brooklyn Federal Court complaint.
Toscano won a medical exception to the department’s policy banning facial hair, permitting him to maintain a beard 1/8 of an inch long, and said he’s performed his job without issue until his commanding officer began to make disparaging comments.
In November 2021 his accommodation was taken away, and he filed a complaint with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Office.
His supervisor would allegedly say things like, “What’s on your face?”
Toscano also claims he was denied a tour change, transferred away from his partner and put on desk duty.
The alleged discrimination lasted until at least May, when Toscano claims he was the only officer in his squad not called to execute a search warrant — while other cops collected overtime to respond, according to the legal filing.
Toscano is seeking unspecified damages.
The Nassau County Police Department declined comment.
