Laughter is as important to community policing as the message
Good cops know that humor can sometimes defuse a potentially messy or even violent situation, as well as relieve the stress associated with their jobs. In fact, their “gallows humor” is understood–even shared–by more civilians than cops may think.
Yet the popularity of two police blotters, those in the Unalaska/Dutch Harbor (Alaska) and Tracy (California) Police Departments, underscores how humor can help civilians relate better to police.
Humor from the police side
The Dutch Harbor Fisherman recently interviewed the Unalaska Police Department‘s Sgt. Jennifer Shockley, who compiles and rewrites the blotter. With a writing style that has caught on among readers even outside of Unalaska, Shockley manages a line between the “fun” side of police work—and the work itself. She noted:
In the most basic sense, it’s a PR tool. It lets the public know that we do actually have calls for service, no matter how inane and trivial they might seem, year-round…. The press release lets the public know what kind of crime we have here and, I hope, keeps the public aware that the public safety department is a necessary part of the community.
Shockley’s work, she points out, is often influenced by officers themselves. “Officers that catch that sense of the absurd, and incorporate it in their event narratives, can strongly influence how much or how little humor I in turn put in the press release,” she said.
Humor from the civilian side
In Tracy, California, the approach is slightly different: the Tracy Press compiles the blotter online, then opens it to comment from civilian readers. The readers themselves have put the humorous spin on the logs—not so much poking fun at police, but rather at fellow citizens.
Where the sides meet
Notably, neither agency is involved in active discussion with readers. That’s probably asking too much. But whether lighthearted education is a goal, as in Unalaska, or the agency simply listens to what’s being said about the agency and the community, as should be the case in Tracy, humor should not be overlooked as part of online police presence.
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Popularity: 38% [?]
Community Policing:
Community Policing is a valuable resource in motivating neighborhood residents to cooperate with police in reducing crime. An effective means in successful community policing is to establish a volunteer police chaplain program at little of no cost to the PD. Assigning volunteer police chaplains to specific police sectors where their respective congregations are located accomplishes three purposes. 1) Clergy are known in the community and are privy to issues in their specific neighborhood. 2) A PD has an additional and respected voice in neighborhoods. 3) Parental control of neighborhood youth is enhanced. PD chaplains’ riding with police officers sends a message to the community that the faith community is a player in reducing crime and public nuisances. Ref: Stories of the Street: Images of the Human Condition. http://www.strategicbookpublishing.com/StoriesOfTheStreet.html
Volunteer Police Chaplain Steve Best
Thanks for the visit, Steve, and for the comment. Do you think social media has a place in chaplain-police-community interactions? Any examples I could link to out there?