We are consumers

I tuned into an NPR program on the car radio a while ago and the word “consumer” came over the airwaves several times in a matter of 30 seconds or so. I assumed I was listening to a person speak about commerce of some variety and waited to find out who was speaking and what it was all about. Well, turns out the program was with a California police public relations officer of some importance. I think from LA, but I couldn’t swear to it. This officer was speaking of a new public relations campaign wherein citizens are no longer just citizens, they are now consumers of police department services.

I appreciate the part where they believe the police department has to reach out to people and show them the police department’s purpose is to serve the community, but I don’t like the idea of the citizenry being labeled police consumers. It seems to me that you can’t get much farther removed from a community than by labeling your community members as consumers. There is something wrong with the idea of people being labeled consumers before being called community members, especially when we are talking about a public/civic organization that is supposed to be one of the community’s strongest supporters and enforcers of community standards. I don’t think of myself as a police customer and I don’t imagine most people do. It seems to me that this is public relations gone a little bit awry.