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Enhancing Community Perception of Police thru use of Social Media

Business Communications 213

December 12, 2014

Brandon Stevens

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Summary

The time has come for all law enforcement agencies to utilize social media as a way to

enhance community relations. The purpose of this report is to highlight the usefulness of social

media platforms for police department and community partnership. Facebook and Twitter will

be the main platforms discussed within this brief overview. Much of the information that

contributes to this report is provided by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP),

to assist departments in developing and using social media. We found that an overwhelming

majority of agencies already utilize social media in some form or another, and the benefits to the

community and the department surpass the inherent unfavorable attributes. After examining

several sources and weighing the pros and cons to implementing and tweaking social media use

among law enforcement agencies, it is exceedingly clear that when the police and the community

work in concert, the true villains are the ones that are rendered defeated. We will discuss what

concerns needs to be managed, as well as how to overcome them through social media. An

understanding, of why collaboration and information sharing efforts are fundamental to police

and community relations, will be developed. Climactically, the use of social media by police

departments to notify and acquaint the populace will strengthen the association that the public

has with their police agency and representatives.

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Introduction

This report provides information about the potential ramifications, both positive and

negative, of departments collaborating with the public about law enforcement processes and

procedures, in an effort to enhance community relations. The modern ways in which the

populace gathers and learns news material is ever changing. Facebook, for example has more

than one billion active users, with approximately 76% of them accessing the program at least

once a day (IACP, 2014). It is paramount that the law enforcement response to this ever

changing, technology dominated current social media driven society goes along with the

program. One frustration to this is that law enforcement agencies must maintain the

confidentiality of certain information, while at the same time providing the public with accurate

information in a prompt fashion. We feel that through the police use of social media platforms,

the link between the police and the communities they serve will be enhanced, through

collaboration and information sharing.

What to Overcome

The general misunderstanding of what the police do and why they do it the way they do it

has long been a societal issue, resulting in a large perceived lack of public trust in law

enforcement officials. In the past this was most often addressed through the media, however as

Bryan T. Norwood and Dionne Waugh, covered in The Police Chief, balanced and fair news

stories are a thing of the past. They attribute this to the smaller amount of air time, which is

covered by fewer reporters. They add reference to the popular cliché, “If it bleeds, it leads”

(Norwood and Waugh, 2012). A huge hindrance to community and police relations is based

simply on the misunderstanding and overlook of what police officers do on a daily basis. Former

FBI Special Agent, Edward J. Tully writes about the role of mass media in the law enforcement

world. The media industry has the “get there first” mentality (Tully, 1999). Unfortunately the

media “actually think that quality lies in breaking the story first” (Tully, 1999). So when an

event takes place and the public wants answers, the media will seek to find answers, yet when

those answers are not available from law enforcement the media will typically fabricate a story

using less credible sources to get answers. When this happens, the public is led to believe

information that is either premature, inaccurate, or biased. The validity of the material then

suffers. Police work is not like most professions, and thus many citizens lack the general

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awareness of what police officers do on a daily basis for their communities. What the police

departments need is a venue in which we can address the community directly, without the media

bias and unavailability.

In a 2007 report, Larry Jones writes about the nature of police work. The law

enforcement profession is glorified with mystery; law enforcement policies and procedures are,

“by nature, secretive” (Jones, 2007). Historically the nature of police work has been a “hush-

hush” business. Police are trained to keep certain information from the public, both for legal,

strategic, and ethical reasons. One obvious reason being; if a criminal knew exactly how the

police do “policing,” then a criminal would know how to elude law enforcement. The IACP

addresses the issue on the revelation of sensitive information, in a 2010 Concepts and Issues

paper. Stating that social media “may, inadvertently or otherwise, reveal sensitive information

about the department’s activities” (IACP, 2010). Measures must be explored to ensure the

security of specific information.

Among the first questions that command staff ask when looking into whether social

media use is desirable to their department is, how will we address negative feedback and

comments (Norwood and Waugh, 2012)? The development of a follower base to justify the use

of social media must also be further explored. The overall lack of community and police

department transparency must be resolved. To overcome all of the possible negative side effects

of social media implementation, would be nearly impossible, yet the actual negative side effects

on society by not using it, cannot be ignored.

How will Social Media Facilitate Improved Relations

Police department use of social media greatly improves the follower base of the

department. Dan Alexander writes in The Police Chief, about weighing the pros and cons of

social media use. He goes on to say, “Does it make sense to ignore a huge audience of

constituents?” Also defined, is the option to the department to send their own message, instead

of having others defining your message in their way (Alexander, 2011). The use of social media

to portray the police viewpoint of a situation is undoubtedly needed.

According to a guide published by Facebook, a leader in the social media community, the

system allows the department to tell their story in their “own unique voice.” Further the guide

states that we can, “Create a dialogue through posts and tools that allow supporters to share and

engage with” the message. The media could have a delay in publishing the information, while

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the use of social media allows a department to immediately share content with whomever is

“following” or “friends” of the department. The ability to “amplify your impact when citizens

share your content with their friends” (Facebook, 2014). Many news organizations will turn to a

department’s social media resources to obtain content that they will publish or repost on a

particular issue or event. This works in the departments favor because routinely reposted

messages, still bear the finely tuned words chosen by the department, instead of the journalist’s

interpretation of an event. As Dennis Burns and Zach Perron explain in their The Police Chief

article, “it adds the department’s public stamp of legitimacy and accuracy” (Burns and Perron,

2014).

Social media can be used to feature the everyday noble acts performed by law

enforcement officers. By shedding a positive light on law enforcement, the community may be

more attentive on law enforcement matters. The Richmond Virginia Police Department began

with a social media segment every morning titled “Today’s good news,” in which the department

highlighted a specific positive interaction or hard working officer to tell an uplifting story about

(Norwood and Waugh, 2012). Social media can also be used to advise the public with various

emergency alerts to assist in identifying and resolving issues of immediate concern to societal

well-being, and safety tips to minimize ones vulnerability to being a crime victim.

Through social media interaction, the public is able to comment or suggest their opinion

on topics posted by the department. Additionally, social media gives law enforcement a platform

to respond to citizen observations and viewpoints presented. This collaboration, viewable by

whomever, can reveal the general public’s vibe from situations and can point law enforcement in

a direction towards clearing up issues. The department can break down what may have

happened, and depict the way officers interpret the details of and leading up to a situation. As a

commonly brought up concern, the policy for what to do with inappropriate content must be

addressed. Departments have faced this challenge in various ways. Highlighting the Richmond

Virginia police department again, they implemented a content policy, which utilized the screen

capture feature. In the event that an offensive comment was found, the department would save a

screen shot image of the posting, and save it in a file of deleted offensive postings. The

department was very upfront and posted this content policy often to remind citizens. “This

shows that the agency is following protocol and is treating everyone the same” (Norwood and

Waugh, 2012). Social media postings, and comments, on a police departments “page” must be

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family appropriate. And it is the department’s responsibility to make sure that negative

comments and postings are removed immediately. Most departments utilize their public

information officers to handle this task.

Why is Collaboration and Information Sharing Fundamental to Relations?

The national response to the contentious police action shooting death of Michael Brown

by Officer Darren Wilson is a prime example as to why a joint collaborative effort between the

police and the general public is imperative. In a letter following the police action events in

Ferguson, Missouri the retired chief, Pat Englade writes that police officers are trained to “react

to a threat and not think about consequences” (Englade, 2014). The negative perception that the

many people share on the police community en masse, is partially due to the actions of relatively

few officers. The department should remind the citizens that all acts of police use of force will

be fully investigated, and that collaboration and information sharing through social media outlets

can help end the careers of the few officers who do take advantage of their position, and dishonor

the citizens of their community.

Public information officer are typically the liaison between the department and the

community. The public information entities of police departments really help to inform the

public of what their police officers are doing in the community. “Reassuring the public that the

investigation is being properly handled, while … ensuring that all the officers are kept informed

of developments, is clearly the best policy for all concerned” (Tully, 1999). Alexander, writes

that “people generally still trust police officers but are naturally anxious about being social with

law enforcement” (Alexander, 2011). Nancy Kolb, writes in Sheriff Magazine that social media

can “provide residents with a way to engage directly with law enforcement leaders about a

variety of crime prevention topics” (Kolb, 2012). “Real-time updates increase the public’s trust

in law enforcement and allow the agency to better address … rumors” (Burns and Perron, 2014).

By using social media, people are more apt to communicate with the police department.

One department took the opportunity to have a virtual ride-along on their social media

sites. During the virtual ride-along, the officers would tweet out photos of what the shift

entailed. Further the department would explain why officers took certain actions in response to

particular events. It will likely benefit the department and the community to step into the shoes

of what it’s like to be a police officer, and what we encounter on a day to day basis to maintain

the safety of all the citizens. Additionally, by informing and educating the public of why things

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are done a certain way, the public is free to make their own educated decision as to how they feel

a situation was handled, instead of being misinformed and drawing presumptions out of this

misinformation.

Among things to consider educating the public on through social media include the use of

force continuum. The universal standards for judging whether or not excessive force was used

by a law enforcement officer stems from the 1989 Supreme Court decision of Graham v.

Connor, in which the Fourth Amendment standard of “reasonableness” is discussed. According

to the United States Supreme Court, one’s reasonableness in using force “must be judged from

the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, and its calculus must embody an allowance

for the fact that police officers are often forced to make split-second decisions about the amount

of force necessary in a particular situation” (Graham v. Connor, 1989). Essentially, what this

means is that when determining if an officer used reasonable force, one must step in the officer’s

shoes, with the exact same scenario, and with the same knowledge (no 20/20 hindsight) the

officer had at the time, and with the understanding that officers are forced to make split second

decisions.

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) wrote in Future Trends in Policing “not

all changes need to be difficult or monumental … departments can take a step toward

transparency and accountability simply by posting the names and work contact information of

department employees on their agency website” (PERF, 2014). By informing the public in a

concise and educationally worded manner of police practices, the community is free to have an

educated opinion as to whether or not they agree with a particular strategy. When this is done, a

community can request through proper means, changes in a department’s policies and

procedures.

Conclusion

The need for enhanced transparency is clearly evident. We feel that through the use of

social media, police departments can improve the image that has been cast upon them. One must

realize that social media is here, and it is here to stay. Having this knowledge, it would be

foolish to ignore the potential that social media has on the relationship between police and the

community. The media used to be the only outlet for departmental news. With the advent of

social media, it is now in the hands of the department as to how their message is told.

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References

(2010, September 1). Social Media. Concepts and Issues Paper. Lecture conducted from

IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center, Retrieved December 1, 2014,

from http://www.iacpsocialmedia.org/Portals/1/documents/social%20media%20paper.pdf

Bryan T. Norwood and Dionne Waugh, “Telling a Story through Social Media,” The Police

Chief 79 (June 2012):30-34. (Cited per source request)

Building your presence with Facebook Pages: A guide for Police Departments. (n.d.). Facebook.

Retrieved December 1, 2014, from

http://www.iacpsocialmedia.org/Portals/1/documents/FacebookPagesGuide.pdf

Dan Alexander, “Using Technology to Take Community Policing to the Next Level,” The Police

Chief 78 (July 2011): 64-65. (Cited per source request)

Dennis Burns and Zach Perron, “Considerations for Social Media Management and Strategy,”

The Police Chief 81 (June 2014): 30-32. (Cited per source request)

Edward J. Tully. (1999). Mass Media and Law Enforcement: A Time for Reflection. National

Executive Institute Associates (NEIA). Retrieved from

http://www.neiasssociates.org/mass-media-and-law-enforcement/

Englade, Pat. (2014). Letter: Police trained to shoot at threat disregarding consequences. The

Advocate. Retrieved from

http://theadvocate.com/csp/mediapool/sites/Advocate/assets/FullStoryPrint.csp?cid=1092

4658#&preview=y

Jones Larry. (2007). Police and Media Relations: How to Bridge the Gap. Retrieved from

https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/Content/getdoc/9a5940ba-6100-45e3-86a2-

092f72480769/jones-larry-final-paper-%281%29.aspx

Kolb, N. (2012, October 1). Law Enforcement Goes SOCIAL to Prevent and Prepare. Sheriff

Magazine.

Police Executive Research Forum. (2014). Future Trends in Policing. Washington, D.C.: Office

of Community Oriented Policing Services. (Cited per source request)

U.S. Supreme Court Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386 (1989)