Dallas police officers with tattoos will need to cover them with clothing or perhaps even makeup, but it’s something the San Antonio Police Department has not considered, said SAPD Chief Bill McManus.

Lt. Andrew Harvey with the Dallas Police Department said a lot of officers have tattoos, but the department wants officers "to display a more professional image." McManus said in an interview with KSAT 12 News that tattoos have not been an issue with officers here.

“What jumps out is anything that would be inappropriate should be covered up,” McManus said. "I’ve not seen any inappropriate tattoos displayed in SAPD, and that’s not to say they don’t exist, but I have not seen any nor have I heard of any.”

The Dallas Morning News reported Wednesday that the official policy is being drawn up by the Dallas Police Department's personnel division and could take effect by the end of summer.

According to current rules, police personnel in Dallas must "present a neutral and uniform image to effectively relate to all segments of the population they serve."

Previously, individual commanders decided whether an officer needed to cover tattoos.

Harvey said several other cities have similar policies, including Houston, Arlington and Los Angeles. McManus said it’s something he’s never dealt with before.

“It has not come up on the radar,” McManus said. “We have not looked at them, not considered it, not talked about it. Maybe one day we will, but right now, we’re not.”

Dallas PD Officer Nick Novello has four tattoos on his arms, including an American Indian on his right forearm he had when he was hired by Dallas in 1982. Novello said he thinks the department should consider grandfathering in current officers.

"If I got hired in 1982 and had that tattoo on my forearm, how can you expect me to cover my tattoo up in 2009?" he said. "If you have to cover up your arms, they're going to have a lot of problems staying hydrated."

Novello, who also has an eagle bursting out of an American flag on his left arm, said he can understand requiring officers to cover up tattoos if they are offensive in some way.

"In culture at large, tattoos are extremely prevalent," he said. "We're not divorced from society at large."

McManus said he does not expect to see tattoo policing in place in San Antonio anytime soon.

“There’s so many, in my opinion, much more important issues that we’re dealing with,” McManus said. “That’s not at the top of the list right now.”

Sean Talbot of KSAT.com contributed to this report.