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Denver Lawyer Wants To Put Ads On Cop Cars

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Sep 8, 2009 10:00 pm US/Mountain

Denver Lawyer Wants To Put Ads On Cop Cars

Written by Brian Maass

DENVER (CBS4) ― Seeing that the city of Denver's budget crisis is so severe it may lead to police layoffs, a local lawyer is proposing selling ads on Denver police patrol cars as a way to shore up the budget. And he says he'll be the first to step up and pay for the privilege.

"I'd be willing to spend $3,000 to $5,000 a month to pay for ads on police cars." said Arvada lawyer Chris Cessna. "If the city came to me and said we'd be willing to discuss it, absolutely I would be serious about it."

Cessna, who specializes in DUI cases, sent a letter to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper on Sept. 1 pitching his idea. He said he was prompted by the prospect of the city laying off 91 officers to help alleviate budget problems.

"If they are cutting such necessary services," said Cessna, "I would hope they would give it some thought."

He said the revenue from police car ads could be used to save officers' jobs.

In his letter Cessna wrote "I would like to take this opportunity to suggest allowing my law office the chance to advertise our Web site and services on your city's police cruisers. Of course I am open to whatever color schemes would be most aesthetic given the existing color and design of the city's cruisers."

For Cessna, it's a no-brainer.

"Talk about a point of sale, point of arrest that would be an effective way to advertise and an effective way for the city to make money."

Cessna said that last week a staff member at the mayor's office emailed him to say that his idea would be forwarded to Hickenlooper for consideration.

It's not the first time the concept has been raised. In 2002 and 2003, a North Carolina based company, Government Acquisitions, said it was acting as a middleman for cash-strapped police departments. The company planned to supply free police cruisers to police departments.

The only hitch was that the new cruisers would sport ads for everything from banks to radio stations.

It's unclear if any police departments actually received new police cruisers adorned with ads.

As for Chris Cessna, he suggests police patrol cars could just be the start. He says he and other defense attorneys would likely be willing to put ads on jail cell walls and intoxylizer machines which are used to determine a suspect's alcohol level.

"I'm just suggesting it might be an idea they might want to consider," said Cessna.

But late Tuesday, a spokesman for Mayor Hickenlooper essentially said 'thanks, but no thanks'. Eric Brown told CBS4 he and the Mayor discussed the proposal. Brown said it was 'a creative idea but not likely to happen'. Brown said police cars are icons and splashing ads on them might confuse members of the public who need to easily recognize police cruisers.

Additional Resources:

Denver Police Chief Gerry Whitman has written a lengthy letter to the Denver Police Protective Association, the union representing most Denver Officers. In it, Whitman warns of the consequences if officers don't agree to millions of dollars in concessions. CBS4 investigator Brian Maass obtained a copy of the letter, which was sent Tuesday to rank and file officers.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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