Bare Decision

When 60 applicants took a written test for the Baltimore police force last year, the top scorer was John Jerome Bruns III, a 30-year-old clerk. With his high marks and unsullied reputation in the community, Bruns appeared to be a cinch to don the blue uniform. Then Bruns disclosed that in private life he had little use for clothes, let alone uniforms. He and his family were enthusiastic members of Pine Tree Associatesa local nudist club.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Donald Pomerleau swiftly rejected Bruns' application. He contended that the presence of a nudist on his force would affect department morale, to say nothing of causing Bruns to face "intolerable" harassment by his fellow officers. Besides, said Pomerleau, Bruns might be torn between duty and conscience when making vice arrestssay, for indecent exposure.

Rejecting Pomerleau's theories, a U.S. district court in Baltimore has ruled that Bruns is eligible to be a cop. Chief Judge Edward Northrop found no evidence that the practice of nudism would hinder Bruns from carrying out his duties as a police officer. Without such evidence, said the court, the Baltimore police department's ban against nudists clearly violated the First Amendment right to free association.

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