In January, Santa Cruz comedian Michael Mancini will be traveling to Jacksonville, Florida to defend his title. More specifically, the Santa Cruz Deputy Harbormaster is going to attempt to bring home the title of the World’s Funniest Cop for the third time.

Winning the prize—a bulletproof vest—in the 2003 and 2004 World’s Funniest Cop Competition, Mancini admits that he has a distinct advantage over most of the other law enforcement contestants. He says that while most of his competitors are the funniest guys in their office, he was a touring comedian for 15 years before becoming a policeman in Santa Cruz Harbor, enforcing water laws and participating in ocean rescues.

About four years ago, Mancini downgraded his touring schedule from 45 weeks a year to 25 weeks a year. Needing more steady employment, Mancini decided to strike out in a different direction and become a police officer. “My dream was always to be a policeman,” he says.

Luckily, his new job provides plenty of fodder for his standup routines. “I do jokes about car stops and excuses about getting out of tickets,” he says. “I make fun of firemen.”

One joke that Mancini tells is about a woman who tried to get away with a U-turn. When the lady got pulled over by Mancini for making an illegal U-turn, she said that she was just adhering to the signage that she read as “no, you turn.” Get it?

Michael Mancini will be performing with Kyle Cease at Planet Gemini, 625 Cannery Row in Monterey, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 9:15pm. $6/Thursday, $8/Friday, $10/Saturday. 373-1449.