I am not a marketer other than shopping at the super one, but I believe the Blue+You on a police officer’s uniform shirt is a valid statement and an ideal way to kindle community relations to foist us out of this anti-police pit dug by nefarious politics and their ilk.
The policewoman depicted in our cover photo was posted on and for National Police Woman Day, demonstrating one of the myriad ways America’s cops of either gender extend themselves to citizens. In this case, a selfless cop invested time in a tyke who was enamored by a Sarasota, Florida police officer and all the gadgets and lights and sounding devices in her mobile office.
The Blue+You embroidered on her uniform shirt is a regularity authorized by the agency’s executive officers whose intention is to “emphasize community relationships.” That quoted outtake was derived from the following brief video posted by Sarasota News Network (SNN). The TV journalist reported on the partnership between the Sarasota Police Department and students at the nearby Ringling College of Art + Design.
Indeed, the footage appears a bit dated, about nine years old. The police chief at that time, who appeared and introduced the context for the partnership and the Blue+You logotype, has moved on from the agency.
Despite the aged look and faces of yesteryear, the concept and brand thrive in the Southwest Florida city of Sarasota, beautifully blossoming during an antithetical push of anti-police sentiments that made policing much more arduous and bloated the dangers confronted by our law enforcement officers.
I checked with the Sarasota Police Department to ascertain what the modern-day Blue+You program entails…and discovered a litany of “community barbecues” held “throughout the city,” making it equitable and convenient for all residents based on where they live in the coastal locale.
(Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department.)
Partnering with the City of Sarasota Parks and Recreation Department, these BBQ events provide ‘free food, juice, water, face painting, and family-friendly games and prizes” in addition to a host of police vehicles on display and officers meeting and greeting the public.
Besides the basics described in the preceding paragraph, Sarasota cops added a back-to-school program whereby they give each youngster a backpack and associated school supplies.
Sarasota-based newspaper Your Observer reported that at one of the recent Blue+You BBQs, “school supplies and 250 backpacks were donated during the police department’s annual Pack the Patrol Car fundraiser and were distributed during the barbecue. The backpacks were filled with supplies” such as “writing utensils, folders, and notebooks” provided “to students in need by grade level.”
A staff reporter with Sarasota Magazine described it as “an opportunity for residents to come out, grab a bite to eat, and meet local police officers.” If not at any one of the many city parks, the Sarasota Police Headquarters building has been a setting for the event. Imagine the youngsters getting to tour the PD, traipsing through its special units, and scoring some police trinkets such as patches, stickers, baseball caps, agency-marked pencils, official police notepads, and other law enforcement keepsakes.
Imagine the parents seeing their children’s glee at being around community heroes and enjoying the experience.
Another ingredient in the Blue+You recipe book is movie night —“an initiative that honors our community and connects them with the Sarasota Police Department”— consisting of rain-or-shine showings of various family-oriented flicks enjoyed by members of the community in plein air environments owned by the city.
One Movie Night morphed the side wall of Sarasota Police HQ into a larger-than-life screen showing “Elf,” with families lounging on the grassy knoll.
(Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department.)
Some cops joined in while others were fielding calls and occasionally cruising by, needing supplies or conducting some investigative work inside the police complex. Can’t get any more secure than that!
Still going strong after its inception roughly one decade ago, Blue+You is a pretty impressive concept and a great gig for Sarasota police officers and members of the community to co-mingle, have fun, and get to know one another. Police volunteers help take up the effort and show out in Blue+You shirts, lending hands where needed.
(Photo courtesy of the Sarasota Police Department.)
Circling back to our cover image, the Blue+You program is not relegated to planned events put on by the officers of the Sarasota police force but also spontaneous interactions. Three-year-old Wesley, marveling at the inner sanctum of a Sarasota police cruiser, got to feel like a policeman.
From the Sarasota Police blotter came the caption accompanying our feature photo: “Check out this wholesome moment of Officer Bentz and her new friend Wesley! The three-year-old boy and his parents were grabbing breakfast downtown this morning. Officer Bentz made his day by letting him play in her police vehicle and honking the horn. Wesley also got a sticker and teddy bear for absolutely making our day.”
How’s that for community relations branded and fostered by police officers?
