Metro Kennewick cops get their mugs on trading cards

Three dozen of Kennewick’s finest are packing a little something extra this week.

The department issued its latest set of its popular trading cards. The baseball-style cards feature local officers and are meant to give children a reason to chat with police officers.

The department issued its first trading cards more than 20 years ago when Skip Novakovich of Esprit Printing heard about a similar program on the East Coast from his son. He volunteered his shop’s services and a long-term partnership with the police department was born.

“Kids trade baseball cards? Why not police cards?” Novakovich asked.

Sgt. Ken Lattin, police spokesman, said the trading cards break the ice between grown officers and young collectors. He participated in several rounds and said it’s common for card-collecting children to approach officers to find out if they have them.

Novakovich said he was inspired to produce the latest round by the intense focus on police violence, notably the fatal shooting on Feb. 10 of Antonio Zambrano-Montes by three Pasco police officers. They were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, but his parents sued Wednesday in U.S. District Court, alleging the officers used excessive force.

The shooting in Pasco and elsewhere convinced Novakovich it was time to remind people that officers are overwhelmingly regular people there to help.

“We need to give police more recognition for what they do. They’re not scary people,” he said.

Esprit donated design and printing services worth about $8,000. Rich Breshears of Breshears Professional Photography shot the assignment — 36 officers including Chief Ken Hohenberg in Class A uniforms posed with a police car in front of the police station. K9 officers brought their dogs.

Novakovich has been involved since the start. Breshears is a newcomer.

As photo assignments go, Breshear said it was relatively easy. Past cards featured officers in various settings. For the 2016 release, the chief opted for a uniform look. It took about two days to shoot the entire series.

“It was a real pleasure,” he said.

The police dogs were one of the pleasant surprises. A portrait photographer, Breshears said he typically has to use squeeky toys and other tricks to settle dog subjects. That wasn’t necessary with the highly-trained police dogs. They sat on command and posed like pros.

“They’re intense,” he said. He estimates his services were worth about $2,000.

Novakovich and Lattin said it’s hard to measure the impact of passing out trading cards over the years but they hope it has fostered goodwill toward officers and helped children view officers as friends.

“I hope it helps our youth. I hope our youth grow up to respect officers and realize they’re there to help,” he said.

This story was originally published January 10, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Metro Kennewick cops get their mugs on trading cards."