By Jessica A. York
Vallejo Times Herald
VALLEJO, Calif. — Financial problems in the city of Vallejo?
Check.
City staffing cutbacks, a shrinking tax base and further pending cuts?
Check, check, check.
A scantily clad blonde wearing a lettuce bikini, splayed across Vallejo Police Department patrol cars and encouraging residents to go vegan?
Wait, just a minute.
A spokeswoman for the Virginia-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which encourages humane animal treatment -- including efforts to discourage eating and wearing animal-based products -- said Vallejo is the first city police department the organization has approached with its advertising plan.
In the PETA proposal, received Monday, Vallejo’s police cars would feature PETA’s sexed-up campaign urging people to “Go Vegan!” with the tailored slogan, “Lettuce Serve and Protect,” featuring the group’s “Lettuce Lady” -- wearing nothing but the leafy vegetable.
“That’s the image that we have in mind -- our sexy lettuce lady is a great way to get people excited about getting healthy and helping the planet and saving animals,” PETA senior campaigner Ashley Byrne said in response to the possibility that a buxom female on police cars may be considered inappropriate.
“We also have “broccoli boys” -- we have men and women in different vegetable bikinis and such,” she added. “We see that as equal opportunity.”
As for how much money such a venture would pull in for Vallejo, Byrne said representatives would work out those details with the police personnel, depending on how many cars showed the advertisement and how long they were up.
Officials from the cash-strapped Vallejo Police Department said PETA’s offer to advertise was considered nothing more than a joke at first.
“That’s not something we’re going to be involved in,” Vallejo police Lt. Abel Tenorio, the department spokesman, said. “First of all, we can’t be affiliated with any one group -- we believe it would be inappropriate for us to do that, and also inappropriate for us to display the type of graphics that they wish to display on the patrol vehicle.”
PETA’s request came after news reports that the police department is outsourcing its report transcriptions to save money, a press release by Byrne stated.
Police departments nationwide have considered sponsorship advertising on police vehicles in the past decade, raising concerns of partial treatment to advertisers and the legality of such a move.
As for whether police cars covered in commercials may reduce police officer seriousness, Byrne responded “this is a fun approach, but it is a very serious issue.”
Byrne was unsure of the legality of such a maneuver.
Tenorio said he does not expect to reach out to PETA for further discussion.
Copyright 2009 Vallejo Times Herald