Multiple public reports state the New York City Police Department (NYPD) is preparing a $6 million public relations television and radio advertising campaign aimed at those New York City residents who do not very much like or even trust the NYPD police officers.
As a threshold matter, its remains very much an open question as to how NYPD identified who doesn’t like or trust the police. Its imperative that NYPD come forward and clearly explain the basis for this decision. The failure of NYPD to do so runs the risk that the NYPD will once again be accused of profiling one or more groups of people.
While NYPD is at it, they must also explain where the $6 million came from. Was it federal or state funds? Was this sum drawn from another NYPD budget line or was it taken from another New York City agency? Its time for NYPD to start explaining.
Clearly this $6 million price tag is a huge and shameful waste of taxpayers’ money. The best public relations campaign is well-behaved NYPD police officers who treat every person the same way they would want to be treated–and that good behavior will cost taxpayers nothing. It would be far more successful at convincing skeptics that the NYPD is sincerely a changed law enforcement agency prepared to break from its sometimes sordid past. If done, it would vastly improve community relations at zero cost to the taxpayers.
There are two much better uses for the $6 million. First, the NYPD must replace its highly controversial stop-and-frisk tactic with a stop-and-feed program. The NYPD could take the $6 million and buy food baskets and/or hand out food coupons redeemable at local supermarkets. The NYPD feeding the poor would have a far better impact than television and radio ads.
Second, the NYPD could take the $6 million and purchase and distribute (MTA) Metro cards for riding New York City buses and subways. Tens of thousands of poor people are arrested annually for being too impoverished to afford the transit fare. NYPD handing out free metro cards would drastically reduce the fare evasion arrest numbers and as such immediately begin to improve NYPD Community relations.
Let’s all hope NYPD gets the memo.
Joe Gonzalez is a Community Organizer in Brooklyn New York.
Editor’s Note: According to published reports, of the $6 million in question, $3.5 million was raised via the Police Foundation and $2.5 million was donated by local media outlets.
