The NYPD has launched a charm offensive — a $6 million ad campaign aimed at people who don’t like or trust cops.

The ads also are designed to get more New Yorkers to attend the department’s new “Build the Block” meetings to discuss neighborhood issues.

“We want to get the people that are anti-police, that are maybe not so pro-police,” said newly promoted NYPD Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison. “We want them to see the human side of the neighborhood coordination officers.”

Neighborhood coordination officers, or NCOS, are currently working their sectors in 55 of 77 precincts and all nine housing commands. There are two NCOS in each precinct sector and 12 other cops who only patrol that area.

They are tasked with organizing the meetings and dealing with whatever crime issue comes up in their sectors.
The four most common issues raised in the meetings were drug use, loitering, traffic violations
and homeless issues.

Polling the NYPD commissioned showed the two groups that had the most trust issues with cops were young people of color and women of color between the ages of 35 and 39, a police source said.

“The meetings started off somewhat as let’s see what happens, let’s see how far we can go with it,” Harrison said. “Now it’s part of the culture. We’re really asking for the officers to take these meetings really seriously and making sure they are getting back to the residents about any complaints that came up.”

To date, 10,466 New Yorkers have attended 636 meetings since the program began in the spring. Average attendance in the fourth quarter of 2017 was just under 25 people — an increase from the overall average of about 16.

The new ads feature cops and regular New Yorkers offering their views on how their relationships can be improved. They started running this week, airing widely from the morning drive time through primetime on local TV and radio stations.

In one of the ads, dubbed “Familiarity,” a young man says regular, pleasant interaction would go a long way toward making things better.

“If I could trust a cop to go outside and say ‘hi’ every day, and I get familiar and it’s cool and my trust grows a little more,” he said. “And then, hey, I don’t think you’re just out to kill me or put me in a cage. I think you might actually be here to help.”

In another ad, a police officer says working in the same area every day is critical.

“I can relate to their problem,” he says. “I’m able to see them as human beings, as people. We’re all one. Now it’s not cop to person. It’s person to person. That changes the whole trust dynamic.”

The creative directors of the campaign, Mateen Kemet, a native of the Bronx, and Joe Locher said they were striving for authenticity in the ads.

“I was surprised that in many ways that the people were asking for what the basis of
neighborhood policing is,” Kemet said.

“Having a better rapport. It was on a personal level. They were saying ‘I wish the police were more personable.'”

Of the $6 million, $3.5 million was raised via the Police Foundation and $2.5 million was donated by local media outlets.

In order to find your area’s meeting, follow this link and enter your address.