Wildwood Police Send Message To Parents With Public Service Announcements
By David Madden
WILDWOOD, N.J. (CBS) -- Wildwood police are sending a not-so-subtle message to parents via "public service announcement" signs posted on the boardwalk.
The signs say "Please stop telling your children that we will haul them off to jail if they are bad."
Of course, you know they won't. You just want to put a little fear in your child. Not a good idea, said Wildwood police Chief Robert Regalbuto.
"We want them to go to a police officer whether they're scared,you know, they need help, they need a band-aid," said Regalbuto, "Whatever it is, if they see a police officer I want them to go right to them."
Bottom line, he said kids should look to an officer as someone to run to, not away from in times of trouble.
Signs to that effect are now up along the Wildwood boardwalk as a not-so-subtle suggestion to parents to be parents when their child gets out of line.
Regalbuto said he got the idea from other police departments.
Two newly hired police officers are shown on the signs. They, and others, will be involved in a summer long community outreach to reinforce the signs' message.