ACC police permitted to grow beards for childhood cancer research

AUSTIN, Texas (FOX 7 Austin) - A two-month long process all led to an afternoon of "shear" fun for these officers.

“On November 1, our chief, Lynn Dixon, kind of relaxed our general orders 2.14 on grooming standards. Normally we are not allowed to have beards,” said Officer Frank Miranda, with the ACC District Police Department.

ACC police are shaving their beards to wrap up a fundraiser for  the "Beard it Up for Pediatric Cancer Research" campaign. It's all part of an organization called “The Cure Starts Now.”  

Any participating officer donated $50 and was able to grow a beard.

The idea became pretty popular, fast. “If an officer put in $50 to grow a beard, $30 for a goatee, color hair for $50, or paint nails for $30, put in that donation, you’d be able to do it in November,” said Miranda. It turns out November didn't make the cut.

“November came and went and we asked if we could extend it. We said sure as long as we donate half of what you did the first time,” said Miranda. “I lost my mother back in 2014 to ovarian cancer so it's not pediatric, but everybody is affected by cancer somehow, so why not help out the small people in our world, help get a cure for them."

And it turns out the cops had some fun going through the process. "A lot of us came from the military and got into law enforcement so we never really had the opportunity to grow beards, so a lot of us really enjoy it,” said Ofc. Chase Cervinka, ACC District Police Department.

Austin police, Cedar Park, Concordia University, Round Rock, UTPD and many more are also running similar campaigns. The officers see this as a chance to not only give back, but show their communities what their true calling is. “We're humans too and we want to help out,” said Miranda.