More police departments are starting to develop presences in social network spaces. They ask for help locating suspects, tell community members about department-sponsored events, and interact via comments and messages. They may also drive traffic to a main Web site or warn citizens of nearby emergencies. Many of these pages resemble the “cop on the…
Author Archives: Christa Miller
Train for the cameras
American Police Beat’s recent blog about police pursuits (authored by Sgt. Timothy Long) caught my eye because of this passage: For the viewer, a police pursuit is a real-time drama with an unknown outcome…. But what if you are the one engaged in the pursuit? You and your decision-making capabilities are playing out for the…
Guest blog: No more excuses
Awhile back I asked for guest bloggers, and tonight I’m pleased to offer the first: Brandon Perkins, chief of police in Tyrone, GA (not far from Atlanta). Brandon and I connected on (guess where?) Twitter (he’s @brandonperkins), and he blogs at Chief Daddy, where this originally appeared. No More Excuses If one were to ask…
Big Brother vs. public safety
In a previous post I questioned the value of a Twittering police department not following its followers back. The response from @ShawneePD (actually the city of Shawnee, Oklahoma‘s Chief Information Officer, Stephen Nolen): most followers deem it too “Big Brother.” Point well made. Especially in light of this article from the U.K. Overwhelmingly positive in…
The new agency blog: What to say?
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…
Twitter: Not If, but How
CNN.com recently reported on how police departments are using Twitter, while it garnered a mention on PoliceOne. Twitter is, without a doubt, a great tool. But don’t jump on it just because a lot of other departments are. Jump on it because it’s a powerful means of connecting—and don’t restrict yourself to just one use….