Reimagining Communication
One agency’s take on social media
- By Anthony Greiter
- July 01, 2017
FRIEND OR FOE? SOCIAL MEDIA HAS BEEN A DOWNFALL
FOR MANY ORGANIZATIONS, BUT HAS BOOSTED
OTHERS TO EXTREME SUCCESS.
In 2007, social media was on the rise within college communities
and it appeared to be a lasting phenomenon. More online conversations
were popping up every day, and face-to-face interactions were
slowly disappearing. While many were worried about the downfall of
society, some were identifying ways to capitalize on this switch and
move with the rest of the world. But, could a police department really
fit into this new space?
By creating compelling content that people will share, police departments
can access the billions of online conversations taking place each
day. If we’re completely honest with ourselves, we can quickly realize
that safety messages aren’t exactly compelling, nor do many community
members choose to share them in their spare time. This is where
humor plays a crucial role in community relations both on and off
campus. Especially within the college and university communities,
people are searching for this humor and entertainment. Let’s provide it
and spread some information along the way!
THE KEY
Humor. Without it, messages are bland and will
have little traction. With it, we can impact a
number of people without spending countless
hours giving presentations during overtime
assignments. The Iowa State University Police
Department (ISUPD) has continued to break
barriers when approaching law enforcement
use of social media through continued humor
that hits home with people from around the
world. Being able to tie together current events
and safety concerns with a dash of sarcasm can
be very effective. ISUPD’s tweet mixing a foggy
day with a call to stop vaping reached more
than two million viewers. [See image 1 on page
20] Sometimes self-deprecating humor is the
solution. The #DonutDisrespect campaign uses
the well-known stereotype and a little wordplay
to encourage worldwide respect. The video and
campaign events were viewed on social media
by trillions of people. With the use of outtakes,
viewers were reminded of the message while
also seeing that the officers in the video are real
people. [See image 2 on page 20] Figure out
how your department is viewed internally and
you can develop an identity to help your community
see who you truly are.
Think of your favorite brand. Consider
only seeing or hearing about that brand two
or three times per year. Will you lose interest?
Now consider trying to build a relationship
with your community. If you only have contact
with individuals a few times every year,
will the community support you in a time of
need? Will they ever move past the point of
support and begin to advocate for you? Liaisons
and community outreach units can only
reach so many people with limited time. If we
begin to consider law enforcement as a brand,
and can find a way to get others to effectively
promote that brand, our messages can reach
far beyond a single person’s interactions. The
ISUPD joined social media with three primary
goals to improve this reach: Remind,
Enhance, and Inform.
REMIND
In-person communication and education
play an immense role in relationship building
between a police department and the community.
In addition, patrol officers are having
positive interactions with community members
on a daily basis. Social media can act as a
catalyst to remind our community of these
interactions and advertise future events where
community members can elect to communicate
and engage with officers in a non-threatening
and positive environment.
ENHANCE
Many efforts made by law enforcement
require follow-up; education is no exception.
By taking material provided during presentations
or conversations and twisting it into a
new medium, social media audiences become
privy to additional resources and information.
This new means of contact can continue
to enhance the safety and wellbeing of the
community with little strain on department
resources.
Perhaps the most important way social
media can improve community relations is by
allowing an opportunity for feedback. Social
media was not developed as a billboard and
should not be viewed as a monologue. At a
minimum, social media is a dialogue between
an individual and an agency; in its finest
form, social media allows large conversations
to exist in a consolidated space. Some fear the
consequences of negative comments being
made, but the reality is those comments are
being made whether the department is part of
the conversation or not. Join the conversation
and provide some guidance and direction for
those negative comments.
INFORM
The days of learning about recent happenings
in the morning paper are long gone. The
24-hour news cycle has spread mass information,
and in some cases chaos, by racing to the
scene and reporting live. When on-scene law
enforcement isn’t able to quickly answer questions
about what is happening, journalists are
inclined to find other sources: bystanders. As
we know, these bystanders don’t always have
accurate accounts of what transpired. If law
enforcement were to take on the role of a
journalist and provide breaking news or
information as quickly as possible, we could
greatly assist journalists. With the right information,
journalists will have our narrative to
draw from when reporting immediate, pertinent,
and updated information; even if the
breaking news provides only a vague description
of an incident with the location of an
upcoming press conference.
In a “need-to-know society,” our communities
often beg for information about incidents
that wouldn’t normally be published.
Many educational institutions are governed
by Clery and are required to push out emergency
notifications or timely warnings. Social
media can provide agencies with an additional
way to reach people with information, even
when Clery or press-release standards may
not be met. Imagine being able to provide
real-time information to your community of
a major intersection being closed for a collision
investigation. This resource could be
invaluable, but how do you measure efficacy?
SUCCESS
A wise chief once suggested the use of social
media as a community outreach tool is like having a bank account. Every positive interaction
we have and humorous post that is
shared is like depositing support into our
account. Undoubtedly, something will happen
and we’ll need to call on the public support
that was previously deposited. By this
logic, every individual share, retweet, view,
comment, reply, and engagement should be
considered a success.
This support can be seen far beyond the
reach of your campus or community jurisdictions.
With social media, our reach is limited
only by the ability for individuals to get internet
access. Iowa State University has more
than 36,000 students, but many of ISUPD’s
social media posts are being seen by more
than 100,000 people. Those viewers are interacting
with the posts by both commenting
and by sharing the posts with their own group
of friends and followers. In a world where the
primary form of communication is through
spreading media online, getting others to
share a post is crucial.
The number of people reached on social
media is not the only means by which we can
measure success. Through shares and views,
new opportunities can be presented. Because
of a few posts the ISUPD has made regarding
recent Start By Believing—a program of End
Violence Against Women International
(EVAWI)—initiatives, the excellent work
being done by employees throughout the
department is getting international recognition.
EVAWI has since written a spotlight
article on the department’s efforts and has
asked that department members join other
professionals from around the world by presenting
at future conferences. Social media
can help us spread an in-person message on
an international stage.
While an inappropriate use of social media
may result in the demise of a business or organization,
social media is a friend to be
embraced with open arms. With a clear plan,
and the flexibility to use humor, the divide
between law enforcement and the general
public in the United States can begin to be
closed. If you aren’t reaching your community
on social media, you aren’t reaching your
community.
This article originally appeared in the July 2017 issue of Campus Security Today.