Inglewood to Take Cue From Madison Avenue in Battle Against Crime

In an anti-crime barrage planned for this summer, the City of Inglewood will send a message over the medium favored by drug-dealing gangs: walls and bus shelters.

However, city officials will not need spray paint or magic markers to declare their turf.

With the help of billboard companies and the Inglewood Park Cemetery, the city will launch an advertising campaign in May warning drug dealers and buyers about the Police Department’s on-going “reverse sting” operations.

Five companies that sell advertising space on bus-stop shelters and benches and city billboards have agreed to donate more than 25 locations in May and June for ads intended to discourage drug trafficking.

Mobilization Against Crime

The campaign is part of a community mobilization against crime that includes police anti-narcotics and anti-gang task force operations, a recently created mayoral advisory group on crime and a proposed tax assessment under consideration by the City Council to fund 20 new police officers.

Responding to citizen complaints last year, Inglewood police cracked down on the drug trade, which is largely controlled by street gangs.

Police initiated a “reverse sting” operation last spring in which officers and pose as drug dealers at known drug-selling locations to snare would-be buyers. Almost 200 arrests have resulted, according to Assistant City Manager Norman Cravens.

In February, Mayor Edward Vincent met with billboard company representatives, who agreed to help the city publicize its efforts in hopes of further discouraging the drug trade. Inglewood Park Cemetery officials offered to pay approximately $2,000 for design and printing costs.

“We want the gangs to know about it,” Vincent said in an interview. “We want people to think twice before they come to Inglewood to buy drugs. They might be buying from a cop.”

The design by public relations consultant Kathy Kubic features a photograph of a handcuffed man (a professional model, not an actual prisoner) behind bars in the city jail.

The message reads: “Busted: Buying Crack in Inglewood could put you between a rock and a hard place. Behind your rock could be a cop. Inglewood stings drug buyers.”

“We figure that many of the buyers don’t watch the 11 o’clock news or read The L.A. Times,” Cravens said. “We wanted the information somewhere they could see it.”

“We think its a great thing that the mayor wants to do,” said Pamela Anderson of Gannett Outdoor, which will supply six billboards.

Anderson said her company works with many different cities in public service campaigns of this type. Renting a billboard normally costs $400 or more a month, she said.

Also contributing billboards will be Patrick Media Co. and Winston Network Inc. Shelter Media Communications will donate bus shelter space and Coast United Advertising will provide bus benches for scaled-down versions of the public service message.