A bunny with a badge: Yuba City PD "wellness officer" Percy promotes focus on staff mental health
YUBA CITY -- Outside the Yuba City Police Department, the tulips are in full bloom, the sun shines on Wednesday afternoon and Spring has officially sprung.
So much so, a look inside the station might have some thinking the Easter Bunny came early. That's because a small bunny with a badge is making a big difference in the department.
"This idea came kind of as a joke and it's really caught on," said Chelsea McCready, police services analyst for the department.
He's called "Percy" or "Officer Hops" and he's no candy-toting holiday rabbit.
Percy, of course, does not fight crime - and he doesn't go on patrol. His job is inside the police station; and just like his peers, it's an important one.
"I just love how soft he is. I think that's what I love the most," said Lieutenant Michelle Brazil with a smile, petting Percy.
His official title is "wellness officer" with the Yuba City Police Department. He's meant to be an outlet for stress, for officers and staff who see a lot of bad.
"Being able to hold him, pet him and just step back from that situation, regroup is vital to their mental wellbeing," said Brazil.
A push department-wide for a focus on mental health and overall wellness came in 2022, Brazil says. And about seven months ago, along came this therapeutic thumper seemingly out of nowhere.
The story starts when Percy himself first needed a little bit of help. Officer Ashley Carson found him on the road, abandoned, while she was on patrol around 2 o'clock in the morning.
"I started to call him and said, 'Here bun, bun!' He came running to me. He stood on his hind legs and I picked him up," said Carson.
She loaded him into her patrol car where he patiently accompanied her on several calls. She took him to the animal shelter and after a few weeks with no family found, McCready decided to go adopt him.
She gave Percy not just a home, but an office right next to hers in the department complete with a pen, litter box, food and toys.
"He just hangs out in here, he kind of free roams," said McCready.
Percy comes to work with Chelsea every day, even working some shifts too when she's not here so the employees and dispatchers working the graveyard shifts can get bunny snuggles in, too.
"We are seeing the long-term benefits of it already, even in just a short amount of time," said Brazil.
He's a cop with hops - a bunny that doesn't just come once a year, but daily, to do an important job.
"He's a great little furry friend," said Carson with a laugh. "I go in and see him every chance I get."
The department also takes Percy to community events and to schools. He's quite the hit when school children come to tour the police department on field trips.
Brazil says it is bridging the gap between the community and its police, a bunny that helps build trust and puts a smile on every face.
