Mental illness is a hot topic in the news right now, thanks largely to mass killings, domestic violence and violence that doesn’t fit either of those narratives. While the stories help to highlight the overall topic — that mental illness is prevalent among our neighbors, coworkers and the strangers we pass each day — they…
Category Archives: Critical Incidents
Blue Light Camp: In the UK, Spotlight on social media after 2011 riots
Nearly a year ago, as I caught up on tweets following my talk at the Police Leadership Conference, a series of tweets caught my eye. They came from Sasha Taylor, Chair of the National Police Web Managers Group. Sasha and I got into a good discussion about social media use in law enforcement, and although…
Planning for a “social” G20: Toronto Police Services
The June 2010 Group of 20 (G20) summit in Toronto did not go altogether differently from G20 summits in other cities, notably London and Pittsburgh – with one exception: in Toronto, police used social media to a level not previously seen. Central to Toronto Police Services’ success: careful planning and execution before, during, and even…
There are no 10 codes in blogs
Fifteen years ago when I was a police Explorer in New Hampshire, I remember quite a debate over using 10 codes vs. plain English. 10 codes protected information from nosy reporters and civilians; plain English was less confusing for emergency responders, especially during incidents requiring multi-jurisdictional response. All are arguments coming up yet again, as…
Ssh… hear that?
This blog by a Portsmouth (Virginia) civilian points up how valuable the concept of “listening” is to modern police departments—all departments, not just those who are engaging the public on social networking sites. At the very least, rudeness is a common complaint among civilians. “That cop acted like he didn’t get his donut this morning,”…
Media training via social media?
This analysis from Crisisblogger Gerald Baron, on an interview Cambridge PD Sgt. James Crowley did with the media, makes me wonder: can social media help train officers to deal with traditional media? Cops are taught, by and large, to steer clear of the media. The PIO or a commanding officer handles them at critical incidents,…