Carson City Sheriff’s Patrol Officer Rocky Getz is shaved March 19 by Nate of the East 50 Barbershop.
Photo by Jessica Garcia.
Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong keeps his officers clean shaven on the job, but Detective Jonathan Tripp brought forth a suggestion for a good cause that allowed them to bend the rules for three months.
Furlong was willing to be flexible for “Operation Beard-it-Forward,” a fundraiser to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Western Nevada. Deputies grew beards and mustaches starting in December and, on March 19, shaved them with the help of the East 50 Barbershop and BGCWN’s kids. The deputies enjoyed smooth shaves at the club’s Russell Way location.
The Carson City Deputy Association and the Carson City Supervisor Association donated $7,305 to support the BGCWN and East 50 staff members gave their time and supplies.
“This was such a huge morale boost from the kids to the deputies,” Furlong said. “They loved it. I think these beards started growing before they actually put out the announcement.”
Patrol Officer Rocky Getz said the children who shaved his beard were gentle. Getz had to restart his beard after taking family time off and returning to work, but he kept his mustache.
“They were having a good time, they were laughing and smiling and they enjoyed it a lot,” he said. “Like the month before I came back, they were like, ‘Oh, we can have beards’ and I was like, ‘Oh, I don’t have to shave.’”
Jeremy Root-Ferguson, manager of East 50, and his staff of five said it was easy to participate. The shop has been in business for more than 60 years.
“It was fun to see the kids coming in to get involved,” he said. “(In the shop), we joke around and have a good time, and to be able to do something like this … it’s just hanging out with the clients, like, it’s like an easy one.”
Tripp, sporting a beard of his own, said many law enforcement agencies get involved in similar “no-shave” campaigns each November for a charity of their choice. He was willing to take the fall for the suggestion.
“At first, I was told, ‘No, go home and shave that,’ ” he joked.
But Furlong said in the future, he could see his office expanding it as a competition similar to the Nevada Day contest, and perhaps it might inspire the kids to become barbers.