14 DAY TRIAL // With a record of car thefts lately reported in LA, the police department was looking for an innovative way to make citizens more responsible for their personal belongings. Inspired by the popular TV series “The Walking Dead,” the law enforcement agents took a calculated risk; at least if the video has zombies in it, people will watch it.
Like no other public safety video before, LAPD's “Invasion of the Zombie Bandits” is the first zombie-themed theft awareness video made by a police department. The seven-minute video changes the focus from the brain-eating zombies to the car valuables-stealing ones.
The four kleptomaniac zombies were having a party while smashing windows and stealing iPads from reckless car owners. The brave LAPD officers appear and immediately stop the zombie-thieves, cuffing them and putting them in a police vehicle, not before dropping one of the zombie's hands.
This may also be an answer to the pressing question “Is the police capable of saving us from a zombie apocalypse?” and according to the video, they sure are.
Captain Jeffrey Bert from the LAPD also has a few messages in the video, making sure the clip is understood by everyone. “Breaking into your cars, stealing your stuff – it happens over 400 times a week. Lock your stuff, hide your stuff and you're going to keep your stuff,” the Captain says in the video.
“Invasion of the Zombie Bandits” was made using members of the police department and funds gathered through donations made to the Boosters Association. One of the officers, who works as a make-up artist while not on duty, handled the zombie make-up effects for the short film, and the whole precinct worked together towards accomplishing their goal – a non-traditional way of spreading the word.
“If you lock your car, you reduce your chances by about 30 percent of having people break into your car,” the LAPD Captain says in the video. The message is as simple as it gets: If people start paying more attention to their cars and their valuables, they won't be stolen as much, and the police department will have more time to deal with other important issues.
