Officer Mike Coughlin has taken steps to ensure
that bikers who violate traffic laws will think twice before whizzing past
the next stop sign they run into--he hands them his cop card as a
warning and sends them on their way with a smile. Although the cop
cards have not been officially publicized, their availability has
spread by word of mouth. In fact, several officers estimate that since
circulation began, they have personally distributed somewhere in the
ballpark of 100-150 cards each.
Indeed some can argue that the ballpark is where the nation's fervor for trading cards first began. "I think the nation has a 'card mentality' concerning baseball and football cards," says Police Chief Calvin Handy. "Part of what we're doing is taking advantage of this idea and using this to establish a more personal connection with the community."
The cards resemble the trading cards of popular sports figures and feature members of the UC Davis police department, complete with a brief biography, personal history and message on the back of each card.
"It serves to bring officers and community members a little
closer in getting to know each other," says Lt. Rita Spaur, in charge
of the patrol division.
Handy has unofficially been monitoring the situation. "In an unscientific way, I'd have to say that people have been very, very pleased with them," he says.
The concept of increasing community interaction through the distribution of these cop cards is not new. In fact, the city of Davis began this practice several years ago and other police departments across the country have used the idea as a calling card to reintroduce officers walking the street. However, due to budgetary concerns and lack of interest, the UC Davis police force was unable to generate enough support for the idea until January 1993, when the idea was proposed by the officers, with the support of Spaur, Handy, and Officer Paul Henoch.
According to Handy, the cards aim to "emphasize the philosophy of community-oriented policing."
The campus police department has also explored other ways to increase interaction with the community. For instance, through the Police Adopt-a-Building Program, police officers are getting to know the faculty, staff and students in assigned buildings. "Across the nation people are saying they want a closer relationship with the police department in their community," Handy says.
UC Davis police are taking a step closer to fulfilling that need by offering people their pick of the cards.
Christine Chan is an intern for Dateline UC Davis.
