Last year it was Frank the Flamingo. This year it’s boonie hats and buttons.

“Football flair with the cops” is this year’s theme. It’s the third year of the ISU Department of Public Safety‘s outreach program to improve relations with the community.

“The idea was brought to us by Sgt. Elizabeth Gries,” said ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger. “The concept comes from wait staff at family-style restaurants who wear buttons with messages on them.”

The buttons, designed to take a “collect-all-seven” approach, will be given out by ISU police at home football games. Each one will highlight a different officer or set of officers involved with football activities. There will be a photo of the officer(s) and a safety message, Deisinger said.

Two of the buttons will also light up because the games are at night.

Thursday’s game button will highlight Officer Dwight Hinson and say “I sit with Hinson.”

Hinson has been working the S. 16th Street and Elwood Drive intersection during game days for approximately six years and also monitors the student section during games.

“This is a great opportunity to spread my name around,” Hinson said. “Hopefully this outreach program will help people feel more comfortable confronting us and let the police be more public friendly.”

Other buttons will address underage drinking, drinking and driving and appropriate behavior in the tailgating lot.

“These buttons say ‘I’m partnered with the police for a safe and positive experience,'” Deisinger said. “It symbolizes a partnership we want to have with all of the patrons at the games.”

Officers will also give out a limited number of boonie-style hats that say “ISU Police” during the games.

The hats are a medium for the buttons, Deisinger said. He said they will mainly be reserved for people committed to being in the stadium and supporting the team at the game.

“We want to support more people going into the game and fewer people staying in the tailgating lots,” Deisinger said.

Gries agreed and said these promotions help put everyone on the same page. It lets the new and old students know the rules of tailgating and is also a good way to interact with the students, she said.

“Most of the time, the only interaction between the police and students is when something bad happens,” she said. “We want to change that idea and show that interaction with officers doesn’t always have to be negative.”

Along with the promotional products, Iowa State has arranged for a limited number of vendors to set up in Lot G2 in the grass area at S. 16th Street and Elwood Drive.

“In the past, we have heard people say there needs to be more food out here,” Deisinger said. “We also thought that more food, water and other non-alcoholic beverages will help reduce alcohol consumption and also provide a public service.”

This outreach is part of an ongoing program in developing relations with the community as a whole. It is used to educate people more about enforcement-related issues and to provide for a safe venue and increase the rapport and connection with the community.