Many See Ads on Oxnard Police Cars as a Form of Civic Desecration

Few things in America are sacred anymore: the flag, the Constitution, God and religion.

But Oxnard officials have learned that one more piece of Americana is sacrosanct: the black-and-white police car.

As part of a nearly $60-million operating budget, the City Council voted Tuesday to allow the Police Department to start selling bumper sticker-sized ads on squad cars to raise money for its force.

The city estimates it can net about $15,000 by getting local businesses to sponsor public safety messages such as “Don’t Drive Drunk” and “Fasten Your Seat Belt.”

Residents have long clamored for more police protection. The bumper sticker program is one of several innovative measures police officials proposed to generate an additional $826,500 and put 14 new public safety employees to work.

But now many residents--and some police officers--say their city is selling out. Oxnard has become fodder for late-night talk show hosts. Stories of the oh-that-nutty-California-town! variety have splattered the pages of newspapers across the nation.

What rankles officers and residents most are visions of Oxnard police cars transformed into roving billboards, cruising from crime call to crime call, hawking Burrito Supremes and The Hair Club for Men.

“I think it cheapens the concept of the police car and opens us to ridicule,” Officer Dan Eckstrom said. “Officers will be saying ‘What do I get tonight? The Taco Bell car?’ ”

Bernard Dunhom, 55, chairman of the Fremont South Neighborhood Council, fears police may lose credibility.

“Every kid knows what a black-and-white police car looks like,” Dunhom said. “If they start seeing advertising on the cars, they aren’t going to take the police seriously.”

But Oxnard city leaders say the program is serious, and they are now figuring out ways to make it work.

“These are not ads; they are sponsored public service announcements,” City Manager Tom Frutchey said. “If getting a public safety message out and getting the involvement of the public means being sponsored by McDonald’s or Nabisco, so be it.”

Frutchey said the city has asked Fire Chief Randy Coggan to send a letter to city departments Monday to recruit volunteers for a bumper sticker task force. According to Frutchey, the task force will set up guidelines establishing who can buy ads, how much they will cost and what they will look like.

Mayor Manuel Lopez said the city will refuse to take ads from religious and political organizations. But he said the city will sell space to licensed businesses. He said he hasn’t ruled out liquor stores. But it will be up to Police Chief Harold Hurtt to make the final call.

“We will look at whatever business would best benefit the city,” Hurtt said. “We will set up a committee, and the committee will determine the appropriateness of each ad.”

Some residents worry that businesses that sponsor the Police Department will expect preferential treatment and heavier police protection.

“The police get paid to take care of the citizens of Oxnard whether they buy advertising space or not,” said Adam Baca, 67, chairman of the Bartolo Square Neighborhood Council. “What if Wendy’s hamburgers comes around looking for a little favor?”

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But Frutchey said there will be no favoritism for Police Department sponsors.

“We’ll say very clearly that justice is blind and police officers are too when it comes to protection,” Frutchey said. “We need to provide equal protection for everyone.”

Many Oxnard businesses said they are excited by the potential of a new advertising outlet. Paul F. Kinsler, an attorney with the law offices of William Wolff, said every lawyer in Oxnard would lunge at the opportunity to advertise on police cars. But he said there might be a conflict of interest.

“Police officers arrest people,” Kinsler said. “People they arrest need attorneys.”

Colleen Fry, the owner of Carriage Copy, said she likes the idea of the business bumper sticker and might consider sponsoring one on behalf of her north Oxnard copy store.

“It shows that the business community is supporting law enforcement,” Fry said.

For years, ads have wallpapered city benches, buses and sports stadiums, and the public rarely assails the practice as inappropriate. But just as Americans would cry foul if rangers posted a sign on Mt. Rushmore reading “Brought to You by K mart,” many Oxnard residents believe that ads on police cars are a form of civic desecration.

“You are getting a reaction to change,” said David Stewart, a marketing professor at the USC School of Business. “People generally feel overwhelmed by advertising. Now here’s another place. Police cars are supposed to be readily identifiable. Here’s something that will make them blend more into the landscape.”

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Deputy Dist. Atty. James Grunert, a former board member of the Peace Officers Assn. of Ventura County, said he has spoken with other members of the organization about donating money to Oxnard so the city would not need to pursue advertising dollars.

“Part of keeping the peace is having a certain image and respect in the community,” Grunert said. The bumper stickers, he said, “take away from that.”

But Hurtt said the public safety bumper sticker plan has “a great deal of potential” and blames the media for giving it a bad rap.

Crown Point, a small Indiana town that has been selling bumper sticker endorsements on police cars since last year, reaped more than $30,000 from its program in the first month.

“At first, there were people who thought selling bumper stickers was kind of funny,” said Diane Schach, assistant to Crown Point’s mayor. “They were laughing. Now people aren’t laughing anymore.”