Baltimore Police ad campaign spurs laughs and gratitude

It’s not just The Wire or Homicide in Baltimore it seems.

Partial transcript … more can be found here.

Sidewalk Scene

Female Officer: Hey, how would you like to be a cop for a day?

Citizen: Gee, um…

Male Officer: Aww, come on…

Citizen: Sounds like fun.

Backyard Scene

[Dog barking, while the citizen backs away.]

Female Officer: Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are you going?

Male Officer: Where are you going there?

Alley Scene

[The three are on foot, chasing a suspect. While the citizen catches his breath, the female officer approaches with the apprehended suspect.]

Female Officer: Come on, we have some paperwork to do…

Citizen: [Panting] Right with you…

Tip of the combat helmet to recently promoted SFC Big Brother Collateral Damage for the link!

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Beijing unveils cartoon cops to police surfing habits

Police in China’s capital said Tuesday will start patrolling the Web using animated beat officers that pop up on a user’s browser and walk, bike or drive across the screen warning them to stay away from illegal Internet content.

Suddenly the phrase “blue screen of death” takes on a whole new meaning. Oddly the police aren’t wearing Google or Yahoo logos.  C’mon, guys! Sponsorship opportunity!

Alabama cops limited to a mere two dozen free Krispy Kreme donuts

The Mobile Press-Register reports that a local Krispy Kreme posted a memo on Mardi Gras with the following: “Uniformed personnel are given 2 dozen glazed doughnuts and coffee or a fountain drink free of charge.” Should that not be enough additional doughnuts were available at a reduced rate, and discounts were also given to uniformed military personnel.

While it was a very sweet (ouch) gesture on the part of the local Krispy, isn’t that a little akin to offering free drinks at an AA meeting?

(Kudos to reporter Dan Murtaugh for a brilliant lede: “How many free doughnuts could a policeman eat if a policeman could eat free doughnuts?”)

Over in the comments section, TotalTransformation suggests that this is part of a brilliant plan to aid criminals by making sure the police stay out of shape. I disagree as these were probably Kripy’s new “100% whole wheat doughnut — with only 180 calories.” Not only are these healthier but the mere thought of a whole wheat donut makes me think they would have to give them away.

Police Brand Beer Glasses

BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Eager to combat drunken driving during the holidays, police are distributing pint glasses embossed with the logo of the Bennington Police Department to bars and restaurants.

The campaign is the brainchild of Lt. Paul Doucette. Dear Lt., don’t give up your day job.

An example of how the target audience will respond to this can be found across the border in neighboring New Hampshire. There “police said they tried pulling over Patrick Allain, 35, on Bridge Street on Monday night but he refused to stop. Officials said that when police finally did stop Allain, they found him drinking a 40-ounce bottle of beer, which he continued to drink as officers confronted him.“

Hard to imagine a police logo getting noticed, let alone discouraging consumers this dedicated to the product.