Wilkes-Barre Police Department distributes trading cards in community policing effort
May 13—WILKES-BARRE — Police Chief Joseph Coffay was with the department as a sergeant in 1996 when the first round of officer trading cards were created and distributed to the community.
Nearly 30 years later, the cards are back, and Coffay can still find the value in their creation.
"It's a community policing effort where we introduce ourselves, through these cards, to whoever we can hand them out to," he said.
As described by the chief, the 2025 edition of Wilkes-Barre police trading cards are their latest effort in community policing. The cards feature a photo of an officer on the front and a corresponding biography printed on the back. Each officer has been equipped with 100 of their own cards, which can be distributed to community members, specifically the children of the city.
The cards are not pulling from taxpayer money, but rather were financially supported by local sponsors. Each card lists one of the sponsors on the back, under the biography.
The effort to resurrect the card program after 30 years was spearheaded by Officer Justin Morris. He got the blessing of both Coffay and Mayor George Brown to move forward with the project.
Brown himself has a card included in the collection, and is excited to see this latest community policing effort work alongside his administration's other goals for the city.
"It's great because now when [card collectors] see that officer again, they have his card..." Brown said of the community-building the cards may bring. "They get to know them. The family gets to know the officer so that, when they patrol, it's more of a friendly type of situation where they're not afraid of the officers."
The mayor praised Coffay, Fire Chief Jay Delaney, and the city's Department of Public Works, and suggested that similar trading card programs can be implemented into other services in Wilkes-Barre beyond the police.
As far as the actual collecting is concerned, Brown and the police department are encouraging officers and community members to engage with each other, and the cards are a convenient avenue to do so. Community events, such as the city's Fourth of July events in Kirby Park and the Fine Arts Fiesta, are organic opportunities for the public to ask officers for their cards.
To keep track of which cards have already been collected, checklists are available.
Sergeant Steven Lada said that the cards are a pleasant topic of conversation, and their implementation is a good reminder that police officers are there to support the community, despite the difficulty of their duties.
"Sometimes police officers have to do certain things, but we always want a child to be able to approach us," Lada said. "If they ever need help, we want them to know that they can come to us, whether it's to call 9-1-1 or come up to one of us and tell us they need help. We're thrilled to help."
Lada said that there is a simplicity to the cards. He added that he will keep his card going forward, even after he retires.
In the meantime, Lada suggested that the 2025 cards open up a number of additional community policing opportunities, such as trading card events at one of the sponsors that have helped bring the program to life.
"We have officers that want to associate with the community," said Lada. "They have a job to do, yeah, but they're always willing to put that extra effort to have a smile on their face and go see the kids. It's amazing to see, and I think that's where we're headed with this."
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