I.C. police recruitment video’s message wrong

The Iowa City Police Department's recruitment video, “Ladies and Gentlemen/Welcome to the ICPD,” was produced by Channel 4 City programming and posted on the department's Facebook and uploaded to YouTube in October 2010 (see http://

twoatthefringe.blogspot.com.)

The imagery focuses on the ICPD charging around in police cars (example of “professionalism”), benignly walking or biking the downtown streets before writing citations to students (“progressive”) and the camouflage-dressed SWAT team in action (“elite”). There is nothing in the video to suggest the police do anything but confront one crisis after another, nor that they might serve the public more benignly.

This high-powered imagery is reinforced by the Saliva rock band's song “Ladies and Gentlemen” in music video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMlKmELIhgY. It portrays two women bloodily beating up each other in a boxing ring with one of them drinking a can of “cocaine” when they take a break.

At its March meeting, the Diversity Committee Report to the City Council recommended replacing the video, believing “it is a reflection of the current culture in our police department, which is leading to much of the public's concern about negative treatment.”

Using violence, sex and drugs is not the way to recruit officers. There should be an investigation to determine what the process was that led to this video's production and publication.

Carol deProsse

Iowa City