The Omaha World-Herald.
Wednesday, June 4, 2003
Midlands Section - Page B-1
Shortened version available here
Sarpy buys new police cars with ads on them for $1 each
BY JOE DEJKA
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
The strait-laced, just-the-facts-ma'am, "Dragnet" Sgt. Joe Friday would probably consider Tuesday's vote of the Sarpy County Board as dumb-da-dumb-dumb.
But even he might have found it impossible to resist buying a brand-new $30,000 police car for a buck.
The board voted unanimously Tuesday to buy as many as five cars from a Charlotte, N.C., company at that whopping discount for the Sarpy County Sheriff's Office.
The only catch is that the cars will be cloaked with local and national advertisements for three years - an idea criticized in Omaha last year as undermining the dignity and impartiality of police.
Not only will criminals will be stopping in the name of the law, critics say, but in the name of a pizza joint, a plumber, or whoevers's logo is stuck on the trunk or hood.
When word got out that the Sarpy board was considering the program, the telephone rang at the desk of Sheriff's Capt. Dan Jackson. the caller, a lwayer, wanted to know how to buy an ad for his practice that specializes in traffic accidents.
"I told him I wiould keep him in the loop as we move ahead on this," Jackson told the board.
The board agreed to contract with Government Acquisitions Inc. only after Jackson and a county lawyer assured them that county officials would have a measure of control over the ads.
Under the contract, the company would find the ads - an arrangement that the company says prevents a conflict of interest between police and advertisers.
The cars would not advertise alcohol, tobacco, firearms or gambling.
Each ad would have to be "appropriate in its message and not reflect poorly on the county," the contract says.
The county would agree to drive each car for three years - and to keep the cars clean. At the end of three years, the company would have the option of buying back each car for a dollar apiece.
Commissioners praised Jackson for coming up with a creative way to save money during tough budget times.
"It looks like a good program to me," said COmmissioner Tim Scrahm, whose only worry was that plastering the cruisers with ads would make them look like demolition derby cars.
Jackson said he hasn't run the idea past the rank and file yet but doubts there will be much dissent over the ads.
"There may be some concern at first, but after a month they'll probably forget it's there," he said.
He joked that one company is bound to buy space.
"I'm sure Krispy Kreme would be a big advertiser," he said.
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