Officer Friendly is a model program to acquaint children and young adults with law enforcement officials as a part of a community relations campaign. The program was especially popular in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from the 1960s to the 1980s, but it continues in some police departments. Officer Friendly is generally not a specific character, and is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

. In 1974, Sears-Roebuck Foundation partnered with John H. Coleman, Jr with the Hampton, Virginia police department and Hampton City school to revise the program. Classroom kits were developed including

coloring book A coloring book (British English: colouring-in book, colouring book, or colouring page) is a type of book containing line art to which people are intended to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media ...

s, videos,

board game Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well. Many board games feature a comp ...

and teaching guides with activities. The classroom kits were distributed to 40 school districts throughout the United States. An original copy of the kit can be found at the Hampton, Virginia City Museum.

Methods

The Officer Friendly programs most famously involved

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

officers visiting

pre-school A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...

and

kindergarten Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cent ...

classrooms. In many parts of the United States, Officer Friendly coloring books are distributed to children.

In popular culture

There have been many parodies of the nearly ubiquitous program. In many cases, the term "Officer Friendly" is used sarcastically to refer to an abusive police officer.

In film

* ''

Twisted Issues Twisted Issues is a 1988 splatter film billed as a 'psycho-punk splatter-comedy'. It featured Gainesville, Florida, Gainesville, Florida punk bands such as Psychic Violents, Young Pioneers, Mutley Chix, Doldrums, Just Demigods, Cindy Brady's Lisp, ...

'', an underground movie, features a song by a punk rock band called Officer Friendly, although not on the soundtrack that was sold separately.

In music

Ben Folds Five Ben Folds Five is an American alternative rock trio formed in 1993 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The group comprises Ben Folds (lead vocals, piano), Robert Sledge (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Darren Jessee (drums, backing vocals). The gro ...

mentions Officer Friendly in their song "Underground". *

Leftöver Crack Leftöver Crack is an American punk rock band formed in 1998, following the breakup of Choking Victim. The band is currently signed to Tankcrimes for CD releases, and Alternative Tentacles for vinyl releases. Leftöver Crack spans several di ...

mentions Officer Friendly in their song "Crack City Rockers". *

Sir Mix-A-Lot Anthony L. Ray (born August 12, 1963), better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his 1992 hit song "Baby Got Back", which peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' ...

mentions Officer Friendly in his song "One Time's Got No Case". *

The Tossers The Tossers are an American six-piece Celtic punk band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, formed in July 1993. They have toured with Murphy's Law, Streetlight Manifesto, Catch 22, Dropkick Murphys, The Reverend Horton Heat, Flogging Molly, ...

mention Officer Friendly in their song "Altercations".

In television

* '' SCTV'' performed a parody skit called "Officer Friendly" on November 28, 1977. *

Rick Grimes Rick Grimes is a fictional character and the main protagonist in the post-apocalyptic comic book series '' The Walking Dead'' and the first nine seasons of the television series of the same name, in which he is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln. Creat ...

, a former sheriff's deputy in '' The Walking Dead'', sarcastically introduced himself to

Merle Dixon Merle Dixon is a fictional character from the horror drama television series '' The Walking Dead'', which airs on AMC in the United States. He was created by series developer Frank Darabont and was portrayed by Michael Rooker. The character was ...

as Officer Friendly, while handcuffing him (in Season 1, episode 2 "

Guts The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The GI tract contains all the major organs of the digestive system, in humans and ...

"), and Merle thereafter referred to him that way, derisively (e.g., in Season 3, episode 15, "

This Sorrowful Life "This Sorrowful Life" is the fifteenth and penultimate episode of the third season of the post-apocalyptic horror television series '' The Walking Dead'', which first aired on AMC in the United States on March 24, 2013. In the episode, Rick Gri ...

").

In literature

* In '' The Annihilation Score'', sixth novel of ''

The Laundry Files ''The Laundry Files'' is a series of novels by British writer Charles Stross. They mix the genres of Lovecraftian horror, spy thriller, science fiction, and workplace humour. Their main character for the first five novels is "Bob Howard" (a pse ...

'', the general public begins to develop super powers through a surge in magical energy. A police officer named Jim Grey develops such powers and begins operating as a superhero under the alias "Officer Friendly".

References

{{Reflist Law enforcement in the United States