Oxnard Police Car Ad Plan: Controversy for Rent : Law enforcement: City officials say revenue from bumper sticker safety messages will pay for more officers. Others fear damage to force’s image.

Another icon bites the dust.

As part of a nearly $60-million operating budget, city officials voted last week to allow the Police Department to sell bumper sticker-size 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 ads that feature public safety messages such as “Don’t Drive Drunk” and “Fasten Your Seat Belt” along with the firms’ names.

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 a growing number of residents--and some police officers--say their city is selling out. Oxnard has become fodder for late-night talk show hosts and newspaper features nationwide.

What rankles officers and residents most are visions of Oxnard police cars transformed into roving billboards.

“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, a 55-year-old Oxnard resident and chairman of the Fremont South Neighborhood Council, fears that police may lose credibility.

“Every kid knows what a black-and-white police car looks like,” he 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 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 task force that will establish guidelines for 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, and he has not ruled out liquor stores. 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 buy the ads will expect preferential treatment from the police force.

“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?”

But Frutchey said there will be no favoritism for sponsors. “We’ll say very clearly that justice is blind and police officers are too when it comes to protection,” he said.

Many Oxnard businesses said they are excited by the potential of a new advertising outlet. Colleen Fry, owner of a copying shop, said she might consider sponsoring a bumper sticker.

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

Paul F. Kinsler, an attorney, said every lawyer in Oxnard would lunge at the opportunity to advertise on police cars.

For years, ads have wallpapered benches, buses and sports stadiums and the public has rarely assailed the practice as inappropriate. But a number of 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 USC’s 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.”

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,” he said. “[The bumper stickers] take away from that.”