Officer Judy Hopps is a rabbit that aspires to be a police officer in Disney’s Zootopia. She comes from a family of carrot farmers. She does, however, succeed in becoming the city’s first bunny police officer. Little did Hopps realize that Sacramento, California, is home to a real-life bunny police force. According to CNN, Percy, a formerly abandoned rabbit, holds a critical position at the California police station. He assists other police officers in decompressing from their demanding life as wellness officers. The appointment of the bunny was a joke, said a cop, but it stuck.
Percy has an important role. The rabbit has to stay soft and look cute. Lt Michelle Brazil with the Yuba City Police Department told CNN, “I just love how soft he is. I think that’s what I love the most.” Police officers work in a violent environment, which causes trauma and anxiety. Officers and staff members use Percy, the diminutive brown ball of fur with short legs and a pink nose, as a stress reliever. It is essential, Brazil continued, “to be able to hold him, pet him, and just kind of step back from that situation for a minute, regroup.”
The Yuba City Police Department appointed Percy, the rabbit as a Wellness Officer in 2002
The Yuba City Police Department appointed Percy as a Wellness Officer in 2002 when the department increased its focus on police officers’ mental health. Officer Ashley Carson found him abandoned while on duty. “I started to call him. I said, here bun. He came running and he stood on his hind legs. I picked him up,” she stated.
Carson first brought Percy to the animal shelter. When Percy’s family failed to show up to take him up a few weeks later, department officer Chelsea Macready adopted him. She provided him with an office in addition to a house. Every day, Percy commutes to work with Chelsea. Even when Officer Chelsea is not present, the “hard-working bunny” performs shifts. Officer Brazil claims that by hiring Percy quickly, the department has gained long-term advantages. He’s a wonderful small animal companion. Every chance I get, I visit him in there,” said Carson. Percy is a cop who hops, in fact.