Are You Kidding Me? Cash-poor US Police to Get Cars that Carry Ads

DALLAS, Jan 16, 2003; Jon Herskovitz writing for Reuters filed this news feature. This murder scene investigation is sponsored by America's favourite laundry detergent and this drunk-driving arrest is brought to you by the cola that has brought smiles and safe driving to millions worldwide.

In coming months, these scenarios may not seem so far-fetched as cash-strapped U.S. police departments receive shiny new vehicles in exchange for displaying advertisements on them.

A Charlotte, North Carolina company, Government Acquisitions, has come up with a plan to provide police departments with free cruisers in exchange for having the cars sport advertising reminiscent of blurbs seen on NASCAR racing cars.

Ken Allison, a former marketing executive who formed Government Acquisitions, said he decided to launch the programme in response to calls to boost domestic security after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

He said his company can put new emergency vehicles on the road at no expense to the taxpayer. Critics say placing ads on police cruisers is demeaning to police forces and makes it appear as if law enforcement officers are endorsing certain products.

Almost 100 police departments in 20 states have signed contracts with Government Acquisitions and Allison expects the number to grow as more look to the programme as a way to receive new cars to replace their current clunkers. The first vehicles are likely to hit the roads in about three to six months.

"What is embarrassing for a department is to be in a situation where someone's life is being threatened and their vehicle is broken down on the side of the road," Allison said.

There are tens of thousands of police departments in the United States, and many do not have the money to purchase new police cruisers at a cost of $25,000 to $30,000 each. One department that has signed on with Government Acquisitions is the town of Madison, North Carolina, population 2,500, which has not been able to buy a new police car in about 14 years.

CRIME AND COMMERCIALISM

Here is how the deal works.

Sponsors strike a deal with Government Acquisitions to place their advertising on a police car or an emergency vehicle. Government Acquisitions donates that vehicle to a police department to use for free for three years and it keeps the money paid by the advertiser.

Government Acquisitions will not accept advertising from alcohol, tobacco or firearms companies or any other firm that may provide an unfavourable image for the police. Several police departments said their deals stipulate that they have the final say as to what ads are appropriate for its vehicles.

Allison would not name the companies expected to advertise on police cars but said they run the gamut from local day care agencies to multinational firms that want to bolster their image by showing support for law enforcement through ads.

Oklahoma Sheriff Mike Willeby in McCurtain County, a predominantly rural section of southeastern Oklahoma, said his cash-strapped department is looking to receive six cars from Government Acquisitions.

"It's not going to make us look silly. A majority of our constituents will be glad we are saving taxpayer dollars. We felt the benefits far outweighed the risks," Willeby said.

Advertisers have been taking it to the street for decades, placing ads on almost everything associated with America's roadways. And in these days when Internet gambling sites will paint their names on the back of a prize fighter, there seems to be few boundaries for placing ads.

HUCKSTERS ON WHEELS?

But, critics say the risks are high. Commercial Alert, a non-profit organisation that is chaired by consumer activist Ralph Nader and dedicated to keeping commercial culture within reasonable bounds, said ads on police cars would be make the officers and their vehicles "objects of ridicule and scorn."

It sent a letter to 100 leading national advertisers urging them not to participate in the programme, saying a police car is one of the most tasteless venues possible for advertising.

"It is imperative that we resist all that would cheapen or degrade the men and women who maintain order in our communities, or would make them objects of ridicule and contempt," it said.

Organisations such as the National Association of Chiefs of Police are leery of the advertising plan, saying the ads could imply a police endorsement of certain products and the public may have trouble spotting police cars that are covered in NASCAR-style ads.

Contracts between police forces and Government Acquisitions stipulate that the advertisements will not obscure the vehicle's police insignia.

One of the latest communities to join the parade is Pine Bluff, Arkansas. The city council for the community located south of Little Rock voted this month to pursue an arrangement with Government Acquisitions for as many as 100 police cruisers.

"It might be a great opportunity for us to save money and bring our police cars up to snuff. We've got a really ageing fleet," said Pine Bluff Mayor Dutch King.

"When you look at the cost savings it's a no-brainer," King said.

(With additional reporting by Ben Fenwick in Oklahoma City and Steve Barnes in Little Rock)