Local police departments are "letting it grow" for a cause

No Shave November has arrived, and local police officers are putting their razors to rest and “letting it grow” in the spirit of the season.

The Carrboro Police Department, Hillsborough Police Department and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office are all participating in the month-long campaign to raise money and spread cancer awareness.

Captain Chris Atack of the Carrboro Police Department said this is the second year his department is participating.

“No-Shave November has been around for awhile, so we tweaked it and turned it into a no-shave holiday,” Hillsborough Chief of Police Duane Hampton said. “We started just before Thanksgiving and let it run through Christmas."

This year, their “no-shave holiday” will begin on Nov. 23.

The Hillsborough department initiated their No Shave November campaign last year as a way to raise money for a local family.

“We had a family we knew of that was in need last year,” Hampton said. “They were part of the law enforcement community, and we wanted to do something that would help them out. We came up with this idea of no-shave month.”

The Hillsborough Police Department also has a dollar-a-day participation fee. Twenty officers, including Hampton, took part last year.

"I usually can't make it the whole month,” Hampton said. “I end up having to shave for meetings or things like that, and I usually end up with just a little chin beard.”

For the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, the cause is personal.

“We're doing this one for Sergeant Chad Riley here at our Sheriff's office,” Captain Norman Horton said. “His two-year-old son was diagnosed with a brain tumor about four to five weeks ago. You run into so many expenses that can really drain you, and it's just a little something that we can do."

Each of the 25 participants is contributing a $60 baseline donation for the cause. The department has raised over $1,200 so far, and is accepting outside donations at (919) 245-2907.

According to Horton, the officers don't usually get to wear facial hair beyond a mustache, and participants are looking forward to letting it go.

“I'm all in, I'm going for the whole thing,” Atack said. “I'm gonna keep my neck somewhat civilized, but the rest is just going to pot.”

Local law enforcement is about to get a lot scruffier in the coming weeks. Check out before-and-after pictures of participating officers on the departments’ Facebook pages.

@cwpaletta

city@dailytarheel.com