Image via Jacob Botter/Flickr

Starting an official department blog can be intimidating, especially for those who don’t think of themselves as “writers.” As I wrote earlier, you should consider it another form of communication – talking to the public. But what do you actually write about?

Some blogs, like the LAPD’s, take the concept of newspapers’ “Police Blotter” a little further and more in-depth. Others, like the Savannah-Chatham Metro Police Department’s, Chief Casady’s blog in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the Lakeland (Florida) police blog comment on issues in the community and the department.

But where do you get ideas? In smaller communities, things may not happen frequently enough to discuss in-depth. And police blotters are often covered by “the local rag,” the small newspapers that publish them for entertainment as well as news value.

A good department blog accomplishes several things. Here’s what I recommend:

The About page

The About page tells readers who you as blogger are, what you intend to accomplish with the blog. This can be difficult to write; even writers struggle with our own About pages.

My advice: have some fun with it. Write a couple of sentences about how long you’ve been a cop and/or worked for the department, the different jobs you’ve held. Then maybe something about your favorite aspects of each job, or of police work overall. It doesn’t have to be long.

Who blogs?

Even if you’re the blog’s “sole proprietor,” get some of the other officers involved. Some may already blog (anonymously, but known among fellow officers) or have great information on certain problems: identity theft, Internet crimes against children, domestic violence. Interview them, ask them to write a guest post.

If they don’t want to blog, involve them by interviewing them—seriously or humorously. Ask off-the-wall questions if you think they’ll be well received; for instance, get detectives to tell you how their jobs are not like TV. And don’t think any of this has to be long. In fact, it shouldn’t be.

Who’s your audience?

Think community: seniors, teens, parents, business owners, home owners. Very few of these people will be offline. Think in terms of solving the problems they have, the problems they worry about. List 10 things you want the public to know about carseat safety, bike safety, going on vacation, any other trends you see coming through your office. Give them short lists – top 10s, or 7 Reasons to Ask for House Checks or opposites, 7 Reasons Not to Get Your Carseat Checked (as long as you can write tongue in cheek)!

More serious topics can include education on local and state laws, but this should be done in context of trends you see. Don’t just link to state statutes online; explain them in plain English (though perhaps ask a friendly attorney to look it over first). Civilians deserve to know how laws affect the way police treat identity theft or stalking or property damage.

When the blog first starts, it’s likely that not too many people will read it yet. This is okay. Use the time to build content, find your sea legs and discover your voice. Once you get it up and running, and everyone is comfortable with it, local media may be able to help you publicize it. You should also find local bloggers and Internet forums to comment on (providing a link to the blog). If able to, hand out flyers at community events and maybe to downtown business owners.

Accept comments

This is a tricky subject. Some departments have experimented with blogs, then had to shut them down because the comments were too abusive… but couldn’t be moderated without infringing on free speech. (An official blog represents a government agency; only private individuals have the right to moderate comments.) This is always a possibility.

But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start out accepting comments, which can be an important means of listening. Burglary may not be a significant problem in your community, for example, but it may be on citizens’ minds—enough that blogging about, and linking to, tips like these can go a long way toward showing the public you care about their fears as well as their realities.

Be human

Most law-abiding civilians want to relate to police. Some “old school” cops may be uncomfortable with this concept, believing it will undermine their authority whether civilians respect the law or not; anyone can become a criminal if the wrong buttons are pushed, and it’s harder to arrest people you’ve spoken to as friends.

But this may be the Internet’s advantage: it’s an extra layer between you and the public. So, in my opinion, you as department blogger shouldn’t be afraid to be yourself. If you have kids, talk about them with regard to whatever content you’re writing (say, if you write about bike safety, how are you teaching your kids to ride safely?). Be funny, show your sense of humor, don’t make it “official”; or balance “official” with a lighter side, perhaps even switching off with another officer.

Department blogs aren’t for everyone. For one thing, only interested officers should be blogging. (Those who regard it as a chore will broadcast that attitude loud and clear.) And administrators should be sure to set up a plan, including a list of alternative bloggers, should the main author go on extended leave or even depart the agency. A blog left hanging looks unprofessional.

However, blogs can be an excellent tool to connect with the public on a personal level, so they should not be dismissed out of hand. Explore all the social media options (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and so forth); talk to other administrators of departments that have blogs or have tried them. Get everyone’s opinion, then base your decision on what you feel will work best for your agency.

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Tags: Domestic violence, Facebook, Freedom of speech, Law, Law Enforcement, Los Angeles Police Department, MySpace, Police

This entry was posted on March 23, 2009 at 9:10 am and is filed under Blogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.