The Social Media Beat

Using Social Media to Engage Officers' Families and Fellow Officers

Using Social Media to Engage Officers' Families and Fellow Officers

By Dionne Waugh

Dionne Waugh

Dionne Waugh is a member of the Richmond Police Department's Public Affairs Unit in Richmond, Virginia. Follow Dionne on Twitter @RichmondPolice.

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One of the neatest – and most surprising – things to come from the Richmond Police Department's use social media is the boost in employee morale and camaraderie as well as the increased engagement with officers' families.

To explain, I think most agencies start using social media to better communication and inform their community. Well, a key part of that improved communication and community are your officers and their families.

Too often the community only hears about police officers when something bad happens. The same is probably true for most family members. They may only hear about the weird, the crazy, or the sad things that happen on the officer's shift. On Facebook and Twitter, they get the chance to read about their loved ones in a variety of positive ways (like photos and video) that also offer people a chance to publicly brag or thank the officer for their good service. This isn't to say that officers don't share the good stories, but officers may be too humble to talk about some things or they may not even know just how much of a positive impact they had on an individual or a situation.

For example, our daily "Good News" postings often draw many likes and comments, but none more proud than family members who often share the post on their own walls, further trumpeting the good works of the officer or civilian. In the three and half plus years we’ve been using social media, I’ve seen a steady climb in the number of family and friend comments on all of our postings. The same is true for officers posting their support of their fellow officers. We’ve gone from officers not supporting the Facebook effort to officers wanting to be one of the featured topics on Facebook. What a great turnaround!

Social media sites are a great way to encourage and build upon an officer’s support network. It may be hard to understand, but when you see a post or a photo that draws 20, 30, or 50 comments and likes, especially in such a public form, you realize the medium is a very powerful way to support people. You can further encourage that by liking all those comments and responding when people mention how proud they are of their family member or friend.

It’s to the point now where I was taking pictures at an event and a woman told me she couldn’t wait to see them on our Facebook page because she was already a fan!

We all want to feel valued and, at times, brag about the good things we do, especially in a profession where you usually only get feedback when someone’s unhappy. Social media sites are a great way to do that. You’re not just communicating with your community, you’re supporting your own officers and showing them – publicly – just how proud you are of them.
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    About This Blog

    So you have found, or perhaps stumbled upon, The Social Media Beat, the blog for the IACP Center for Social Media Web site. The Social Media Beat is about three things: social media, law enforcement, and perspective. Here you will find a fresh outlook on the issues that are affecting law enforcement agencies and their personnel when it comes to social media.

    Social media is taking the world by storm. Social networks, blogs, photo and video sharing sites, and virtual communities are changing the way people live, work, and play. These tools present unique opportunities as well as challenges to the law enforcement community.  The Social Media Beat brings together a team of bloggers who will speak directly to you about hot topics and current issues.

    Bloggers include IACP staff and practitioners in the field who can provide a unique front-line perspective. Our team cares about social media and wants to ensure that law enforcement across the country are knowledgeable and well-equipped to incorporate this technology.

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    About the Authors

    Dionne Waugh

    Dionne Waugh is the social media guru for the Richmond Police Department. As a member of the Department's Public Affairs Unit for more than three years, she created and developed the agency's successful use of social media and continues to try and find new ways to improve the way Richmond Police communicate online. Waugh is a former newspaper reporter who wrote about crime, police, and the court system for six years. That experience and an ingrained curiosity for what makes people tick has fueled her desire to improve communication between people. Waugh graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, with a degree in mass communications. Follow Dionne on Twitter @RichmondPolice.

    IACP Center for Social Media

    IACP's Center for Social Media serves as a clearinghouse of information and no-cost resources to help law enforcement personnel to develop or enhance their agency's use of social media and integrate Web 2.0 tools into agency operations. The Center is funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

    Tracy Phillips

    Tracy is a Senior Project Specialist with the IACP. She is responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of the DiscoverPolicing.org Web site and coordinating the site's social networking plan. In addition, Ms. Phillips provides writing, editorial, and technical assistance on a variety of association projects and activities, including police management studies, job analyses, executives searches, federal grants, and various research projects and proposals. She has more than 10 years of experience in state and local government, including work as a management analyst, performance auditor, and crime analyst. Ms. Phillips holds a master's degree in public administration from the University of Georgia and a bachelor's from Clemson University.

    Want to hear more from Tracy Phillips? Follow her and the Discover Policing team on Twitter, Facebook, and on the Inside Discover Policing blog. You can also network with other police recruitment professionals in the Law Enforcement Recruitment LinkedIn group.

    Dave Norris

    Sergeant Dave Norris has been with the San Mateo, California, Police Department (SMPD) since 1993. After serving as a Detective, FTO, and Patrol Sergeant, he is currently assigned to Community and Media Relations. The position manages SMPD's relationship with the community, including Neighborhood Watch, civilian volunteers, CPTED review, and SROs. He also handles public information and social media, having expanded SMPD’s community alert outreach to over 17,000 direct subscribers across a number of social media platforms. Dave serves on the planning committee for the Bay Area Law Enforcement Social Media Group, a training and resource collaborative spanning over 50 agencies and six San Francisco Bay Area Counties.

    Lynn Hightower

    Lynn has been the Communications Director and Public Information Officer for the Boise Police Department since October, 2003. Lynn also serves at the PIO for the Boise Fire Department. Lynn often acts as media spokesperson, and advises officers from patrol to command staff on effective media and communications strategies. Lynn joined the Boise Police Department after 17 years as a television reporter, producer, anchor, and news director. Lynn is a certified media relations and communications instructor from the Idaho POST Academy. She regularly instructs new officers at the Boise Police Academy and has given media relations and communications instruction to dozens of federal, state, and local emergency responder agencies. Follow Lynn on Twitter @BoisePD.

    Billy Grogan

    Billy Grogan is the Chief of Police for the Dunwoody Police Department in Georgia. Chief Grogan was hired on December 17, 2008, after serving 28 years with the Marietta, Georgia, Police Department, to start a brand new department. On April 1, 2009, the Dunwoody Police Department began operations with 40 sworn officers and eight civilians providing police services to the 40,000+ residents of the City of Dunwoody. The entire process took about 90 days. Chief Grogan embraced the use of social media from day one of operations. The Dunwoody Police Department began using Twitter the first day and has added Facebook, YouTube, and a Chief's Blog to their arsenal since then as effective tools to market their department and engage their community. Chief Grogan has participated in a number of social media focus groups and lectured on the subject as well. Follow Chief Grogan on Twitter @ChiefGrogan.

    Mark Economou

    Mark Economou is the Public Information Officer for the Boca Raton Police Department in Boca Raton, Florida. His media and public relations background spans nearly 20 years. Spending nearly 15 years in radio and television news, Economou held many positions from assignment editor, reporter, anchor, and executive editor. After that, he served as the Director of Media Relations for Cote & D'Ambrosio, a Public Relations, Marketing and Advertising firm in Wickford, RI. He then served as head of Media Relations for Citizens Bank of Rhode Island, the 9th largest bank in the United States. Follow Mark on Twitter @BocaPolice.

    Frank Domizio

    Corporal Frank Domizio has been with the Philadelphia Police Department for 16 years. He is currently assigned to the Department's Office of Media Relations and Public Affairs where he is the Social Media Community Manager. Frank is also a regular lecturer at Drexel University's LeBow College of Business on the topics of social media and content strategy.

    Tim Burrows

    Tim Burrows is a Sergeant with the Toronto Police - Traffic Services Unit. His primary role is the supervisor for strategic communications and media relations related to traffic issues within the geographical boundaries of Toronto. Tim was appointed to the Traffic Services Communications Office in 2008 with the mandate to raise the profile of traffic issues within the mindset of the general public. In an effort to enhance traffic safety and to control the timing and full scope of messaging, he has developed a targeted information stream using social media to expand the Toronto Police Service span of influence within the Toronto community and beyond with the goal of reducing collisions, injury, and death in Toronto. Using Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Blogs, Tim has pushed information about traffic safety to the citizens of Toronto and has opened the lines of communication to allow for collaborative efforts with community groups, road users, and individuals.

    Guest Blogger

    The Social Media Beat periodically features guest bloggers who share their perspective on the topic of social media and law enforcement. These individuals are law enforcement professionals; sworn and civilian personnel from agencies of all types and sizes throughout the world. If you are interested in guest blogging, please send your request to socialmedia@theiacp.org. All bloggers must be affiliated with a law enforcement agency or educational institution. We cannot accept blog entries from vendors or others working in a for-profit capacity.

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