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…
Category Archives: Critical Incidents
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,…
How few is too few?
Some law enforcement agencies may be reluctant to jump into social media because they are unsure of how many customers are really online. What’s the point, they reason, if they’re communicating with only a tiny fraction of the population they serve? It’s a valid point. Committing already-thin resources to something that may not pay off…
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…