police pios survey report - spj
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Mediated AccessPolice Public Information Officers’ Media Management Efforts, Use of Social Media, Handling of Body Camera Footage and Public RecordsCarolyn S. Carlson and Paymon Kashani, March 2016
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Summary
Lawenforcementpublicinforma4onofficers(PIO)haveinplaceanumberofpoliciesthatallowthemtomanagethemessagesbeingsenttothenewsmedia,themostpotentofwhicharethepoliciestorequirereporterstogothroughthemtotalktoanymemberofthepoliceforce.Mostmonitortheinterviewsthatofficersgivetoreporters,mostlysotheycanmanagethemessagesthatarebeinggivenout.AbouthalfofthepolicePIOssurveyedbytheNa4onalInforma4onOfficersAssocia4onandtheSocietyofProfessionalJournalistssaidthattheyhavestoppedtheirofficersfromtalkingtosomereportersormediaoutletsbecauseofproblemsthey’vehadwiththosereporters/outletsstoriesinthepast.VirtuallyallofthePIOsviewitastheirjobtomakesureaccurateinforma4onabouttheagencyisconveyedtothepublic.
Onothertopics,abouthalfofthePIOsareworkingwithrecordsmanagementsoNwarethatisoversevenyearsoldandonlyabouthalfofthesystemsallowthemtoeasilylocateandseparatepublicrecordsfrominves4gatoryorprivatedocuments.MostreceivedatleastaliOleinstruc4ononhowtousethesoNwareorpublicrecordssystem.Abouttwo-thirdssaidtheydidhavesometrainingintheirstate’sopenrecordslawsasitappliestopolicerecords.
Bodycamerasareemployedbyaboutone-thirdofthePIOs’agenciesandsofarthosePIOsareonlygeRngafewrequestsforfootage,mostlyfromthemedia.Mostcommonlythemediawereaskingforfootagewhereamemberofthepublicwaskilledoranofficerusedforce.
PIOsdevotesomeoftheirresourcestoupda4ngtheagencywebsitesandpos4nginforma4ononTwiOer,Facebookorothersocialmediasites.MostoNen,theypostnewsreleaseswithagoodbitofdetail.Evenso,theyreportthatsocialmediahaseitherhadnoimpactontheamountofcontactstheyhavewiththemedia,orthenumberofcontactshasactuallyincreased.
StudySample
ThesurveywasconductedonlinefromJanuary11,2016,toFebruary9,2016.Anemailinvita4onwassentbyNIOAtoitsmembershiprosterof783,withtworemindermessages.Wereceived181responses,foraresponserateof23.1percent.Themarginoferrorforasamplesizeof783is3.5percent.
Oftherespondents,95.6percentworkfull-4meforalawenforcementagencyasaPIO.TherestworkedasaPIOasonlypartoftheirdu4es.OnedescribedthemselvesasafreelancePIO.Overhalftherespondents(56.2%)havesixorfeweryearsofexperienceworkingasaPIO.NearlyafiNh(18.1%)oftherespondentshavebeenworkingasaPIOformorethan15years,14.2percentwithseventonineyears’experienceand11.6percentwith10to15years’experience.Overhalf(57.8%)workedinlawenforcementbeforeworkingasaPIO,16.2percentworkedinjournalismand9.7percentworkedinpublicrela4ons;therestworkedinotherfieldsorwerestudents.
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Thelargestpor4onofrespondents(42.1%)workintheSouth,21percentintheMidwest,13.1percentintheWest,11.2percentintheSouthwest,10.5percentintheNortheastand2.1percentworkedeitherinterna4onallyorna4onally.Nearly100(92)outof129respondentsarebetweentheagesof37and56.
GeneralFindings
Almostallthelawenforcementpublicinforma4onofficerssurveyedbelieveitistheirjobtomakesureaccurateinforma4onfromtheiragencyisconveyedtothepublic(98%).Theytrytomanagethemessagethatgoesouttothepublicbyins4tu4ngpoliciesthatrequiretheofficersintheiragenciestoreferreporterstothePIOwhentheyarecontacteddirectlybyreporters(74%stronglyagree,26%somewhatagree).
Whentherehavebeenproblemswithareporter’sormediaoutlets’storiesinthepast,abouthalfofthePIOswillnothesitatetobanthereporterortheoutletfrominterviewswiththeiragency’spersonnel(stronglyagree19.3%,somewhatagree30.3%).
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There are reporters or media outlets I
will not allow officers to talk to
because of problems with their stories in the past.
8.3%
17.9%
24.1%30.3%
19.3%
Strongly agreeSomewhat agreeSomewhat disagreeStrongly disagreeNot applicable
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Three-fourthsfeelitisnecessarytosuperviseorotherwisemonitortheinterviewswithpoliceofficersthattheydogrant(30.7%stronglyagree,48.7%somewhatagree).
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Askedfortheirreasonsformonitoringinterviews,111gaveananswerand70ofthosemen4onedaneedtocontrolthemessagebeinggivenout.Thirty-fivesaidtheyweretheretoprovidecomfortandsupporttotheofficerbeinginterviewed.Andsixsaidtheyjustwantedtomakesurethereporter“stayedontrack”.
Intheareaofcontrollingthemessage,hereisasampleofsomeofthePIOcomments:
• OnePIOsaidtheymonitored“toensurethatthecorrectmessageisgeRngout.Also,makingsurethatthey(theofficers)arenotrevealinginforma4onthatisnotreleasable.”
• Anothersaidtheywanted“toensurethattheinterviewsstaywithintheparametersthatwewant.”
I feel it is necessary to supervise or
otherwise monitor interviews with
police officers from my agency.
4.7%3.3%
12.7%
48.7%
30.7%
Strongly agreeSomewhat agreeSomewhat disagreeStrongly disagreeNot applicable
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• Anotherexplainedthat“ifthereisapar4cularlyconten4ousorcomplicatedtopic,Iprefertobetheretoassistwithanswers/clarifica4on.”
• OnePIOsaidtheyneeded“tomakesurethemediadoesnottrytoaskques4onsthatmayjeopardizeaninves4ga4on.”
• AnotherPIOwasconcernedabout“informa4onandcon4nuityforrequestsfromnumerousnewsorganiza4ons.Newsorganiza4onscanbejealousiftheyperceivethereis‘playingfavorites’orprovidingdetailstoonereporterthatisnotprovidedtoanotheruponrequest.”
Intheareaofcomfortandsupport,severalPIOsmen4onedthatsomeofficerseitherdidn’tlikeorwereafraidofthemediaandtheywantedtoensurethattheofficerswerecomfortableandhadaposi4veexperience.
“Ourofficersanddetec4vesarejustthat--officersanddetec4ves,”onesaid.“Theydonothaveexperienceingivinginterviews.Theyaregenerallynotcomfortableinfrontofacamera.Mypresencegivesthemthatextrasenseofsecuritythatifareportertriestoaskthemaques4onthatisofflimits,Iwillstepinandhandleitforthem.”
WhilethePIOswantedtocloselymonitorthemessagetheagencywassendingtothepublic,themajorityofpolicePIOsdidnot,however,feelitwastheirjobtoprotecttheagencyfromnega4vepublicity.OnlyaboutaquarterofthePIOsagreedwiththestatementthattheyfeltjus4fiedinnotansweringques4onsorschedulinginterviewsthatcouldrevealdamaginginforma4onabouttheagencyoritsofficers.
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Three-fourthsviewtheirrela4onshipwiththereporterstheydealwithregularlyasprofessionalandcourteous(73.8%).Andonlyafewthoughtreporterswerenega4velybiasedtowardpolice(3.3%stronglyagreed,29.8%somewhatagreed).
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MostPIOsthoughtthereporterswhocoverthePIOs’agencyhadagoodunderstandingofthelawenforcementprocessandthelegalsystem(8.5%stronglyagree,67.3%somewhatagree).Thosewhothoughtthereportersdidn’tunderstandiden4fiedascommonareasofmisunderstandingtheinves4ga4veprocessandlegalrestric4onsonwhatcanbereleased.Severalsuggestedthatbeginningcrimereporterstakeaci4zenspoliceacademycourseordoaride-alongwithanexperiencedofficer.
NotallPIOsarethepublicrecordscustodiansfortheirlawenforcementagencies,butmosthavetodealwithmediarequestsforpublicrecords.Manyareburdenedwitholdcomputersystems.Halfofthe145respondingsaidtheirrecordsmanagementsoNwarerangedfromfouryearsoldtomorethan15yearsold(14.5%4-6years,12.4%7-9years,14.5%10-15yearsandmorethan15years6.9%).Onlyoneinfive(21.4%)hadrecordsmanagementsoNwarenewerthanthreeyearsold.
Abouthalf(50.4%)saidthesystemallowedthemtoeasilylocateandseparatepublicinforma4onfromprivateandinves4gatorydocuments.Somesaidthesystemwasonlypar4allyaccessible,mostlybecausetheys4llhadtoredactunreleasableinforma4on,likedriver’slicensenumbers,manually.
I find that the reporters I deal with tend to be negatively
biased toward the police.
23.8%
43.0%
29.8%
3.3%Strongly agreeSomewhat agreeSomewhat disagreeStrongly disagreeNot applicable
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Onlyahandful(15.5%)saidtheiragencyworkedwithanorganiza4onthatspecializedinpublicrecords,suchasSPJorothers,todevelopthesystemthateasilyprovidedpublicrecordstothepublicandjournalists.
MostPIOssaidtheyreceivedinstruc4ononhowtousetherecordsmanagementsoNwareandpublicrecordssystem(53.2%yes,somewhat,29.8%yes,thoroughly).Andtwothirds(67.3%)saidtheyhavehadtraininginthestate’sopenrecordslawasitappliestopolicerecords.Somereceivedthetrainingfromcity,countyorstateaOorneys,somefromstateagenciesorpolicetrainingfacili4es,somefromself-ini4atedstudyandafewfromsessionswithFirstAmendmentorganiza4onsormediaoutlets.
Onlyaboutone-thirdofthePIOsreportedthattheirdepartmentemployedbodycameras(34.3%).Ofthatpropor4on,about40percentsaidmorethan75percentoftheforcewearsthebodycameras(39.2%),andthesameamountsaidlessthan25percentwearsbodycams(39.2%).
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Mostoftheagenciesrepresentedbytherespondentshavesomepolicyorlawgoverningthereleaseofbodycamfootage(78.4%),mostlytheirregularopenrecordslaw,butapparentlytheydon’tgetrequestsforfootageveryoNen.ThirteensaidtheyhadnevergoOenarequest(27.1%),while12saidtheyonlygotoneeveryfewmonths(25%)and10saidtheytendedtogetoneonceamonth(20.8%).NoonereportedgeRngrequestseveryday.
What percentage of your police force
wears body cameras?
39.2%
7.8% 13.7%
39.2%
More than 75%50-74%25-49%Less than 25%
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Mostcommonlytheywereaskingforfootagewhereamemberofthepublicwaskilled,anofficerusedbodilyforceortherewasaconfronta4onbetweenanofficerandamemberofthepublic.
Oftherequeststheyreceived,30percentsaidtheyareunabletograntanyofthem(29.3%),whileabouthalfwereabletograntatleastsomeofthem(19.5%some,19.5%most,12.2%almostalland7.3%all).Morethanhalfoftherequestscamefromthemedia(58.3%),withtherestcomingfromlawyers(36.1%)andthepublic(5.6%).
Beforethebodycamerafootageisreleased,however,thefootageisreviewedandsome4mesedited,orredacted.Mostofthe4me,theywouldredactthefacesoriden44esof
Which of the following situations or cases has your agency had that have prompted requests for body camera footage: (click as many as apply)
Answer OptionsResponse Percent
Response Count
A shooting where a member of the public was killed after being shot by a law enforcement officer 48.3% 14
A shooting where a member of the public was injured after being shot by a law enforcement officer 24.1% 7
A shooting where a law enforcement officer was killed 0.0% 0
A shooting where a law enforcement officer was injured 13.8% 4
A call for service response where there was alleged racial or ethnic remarks used 31.0% 9
A call for service response where there was a need for bodily force to be used by a law enforcement officer 62.1% 18
A call for service involving a member of the public considered a celebrity, politician, etc. 20.7% 6
A road-related event such as a vehicle accident 34.5% 10
A confrontation between a law enforcement officer and a member of the public 51.7% 15
A protest or demonstration 20.7% 6
Other (please specify) 12
answered question 29
skipped question 152
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undercoverofficersorinformants(81%),thefacesofvic4ms(71.4%),orthefacesofpeoplewhowereinvolvedinthecallbutwerenotarrestedorconsideredavic4m(66.7%).Mostwoulddeletewhatthedepartmentsconsideredtobegraphicimagesofinjuries(52.4%)orinappropriatelanguageorunnecessarilyembarrassingfootage,suchasanakedperson(47.6%).MostwouldNOTredactthefacesofofficersorthosearrested,however.
AbouthalfofthePIOSpostanewsreleasewithdetailedinforma4onaboutcrimesandincidentsontheiragency’swebsite,e-blastlistorsocialmediaaccountssuchasTwiOerorFacebook(47.9%).Somepostashortsynopsiswithalinktothemoredetailedcrimeincidentreport(17.6%),andsomejustpostthesynopsiswithnolinks(16.9%).Veryfewwillpostthecrimeincidentreportitself(7.7%)ornoinforma4onatall(9.9%).
Mostarepos4ngthebasicinforma4onontheiragency’ssocialmediaaccountswithinminutes(35.8%)oratleastwithinhours(43.1%)aNerpolicelearnoftheincident.Mostjudgethenewsworthinessorimpactoftheeventorcrimeindecidingwhattopost.Thenextconsidera4onispublicsafety.Whenareporterasksforinforma4oninaddi4ontowhathasbeenposted,thePIOssaytheytypicallycanrespondwithinminutes(53.2%,or11.3%
Which type of the following scenes captured on the body camera footage are most often redacted, or edited out, before the footage is released to the public? (click as many as apply)
Answer OptionsResponse Percent
Response Count
Faces/identities of officers 23.8% 5
Faces/identities of those arrested 19.0% 4
Faces/identities of victims 71.4% 15
Faces/identifies of people involved in the call for service who were not arrested or considered a victim 66.7% 14
Faces/identities of undercover officers or informants 81.0% 17
What the department considers graphic images of injuries 52.4% 11
What the department considers to be inappropriate language or unnecessarily embarrassing footage (such as a naked person)
47.6% 10
Location identifying information, like street signs, house numbers, etc. 14.3% 3
License plate numbers 33.3% 7
Other (please specify) 15
answered question 21
skipped question 160
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immediately)iftheinforma4onisavailableforrelease,althoughsome4mestheresponseiswithinafewhours(29.8%).
Interes4ngly,morethan40percentsayusingsocialmediahasactuallyincreasedthenumberofdirectcontactstheygetfromthenewsmedia(42.3%)ratherthandecreasedthem,although30.9percentsaidtheydidnotknowwhatimpactsocialmediahashadonthenumberofmediacontacts.Therestsaiditdecreasedthenumberofrequests.
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OnePIOsaid,“Itreallyhasnotchangedmuch.Reporterss4llwantaddi4onalinforma4on,andaskques4onsthatarenotansweredinthemediarelease.”
Anotherrespondentsaid,“Tweetsbothincreaseanddecreasethenumberofcontacts.AtweetwilloNencauseanimmediaterushofdirectphonecalls.Butmany4mes,tweetsingeneraldecreasethenumberofcallsover4measouragencyprovidesmoreinforma4onviasocialmedia.”
Severalpointedoutthatmanyoftheirpos4ngscreatedastorythatthemediadidnotalreadyknowabout.“Weareabletosharemoreinforma4onthatwouldnothaveotherwisebeensharedintradi4onalmedia,”onePIOsaid.“Tradi4onalmediamonitorsourSMaccountsandbuildsstoriesfromthem.Wehavebecomemoreproac4ve.”
Policepublicinforma4onofficerswilldevotemuchoftheirresources,asinman-hours,tokeepingthesocialmediaaccountsandwebsitesupdated.About10percentsay75percentof
How much has social media changed the
number of direct contacts you get from
the news media?
30.9%
8.1%
8.9%8.9%
0.8%
42.3%
Increased direct contacts overallReduced direct contacts by 75-100 percentReduced direct contacts by 50 to 74 percentReduced direct contacts by 25 to 49 percentReduced direct contacts by less than 24 percentDon’t know
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theirresourcesgotosocialmedia(9.8%),whileoneinfivesayit’soverhalf(21.1%)andaboutone-thirdsaytheyspend25-49percentoftheirresourcesonsocialmedia(37.4%).
It’shardtotellhoweffec4vetheirsocialmediaeffortsare,however.Only8percentuseanoutsidemediamonitoringservicetomeasurethereturnontheinvestmenttheofficeispuRngintosocialmedia,while30.1percentusein-houseanaly4cs.Mostrelyonanecdotes(23.9%)orcasualobserva4on(38.1%).
Conclusion
PolicePIOstrytocontrolthemessagesbeingsenttothenewsmediabyrequiringreporterstogothroughthemtotalktoanymemberofthepoliceforce,andbybeingpresentwhenthoseinterviewstakeplace.However,mostsaidtheywouldanswerques4onsandscheduleinterviewseveniftheyknewitwouldrevealdamaginginforma4onabouttheagencyortheofficers.Butiftheyfindproblemswithareporter’sstories,atleasthalfsaidtheywouldbanthatreporter,andsome4mesthemediaoutlet,fromanyfurtherinterviews.Theyallbelieveitistheirjobtomakesureaccurateinforma4onabouttheagencyisconveyedtothepublic.
PIOsthoughtmostofthereporterstheydealtwithregularlyhadagoodunderstandingofpoliceprocesses.SomesuggestedthatbeginningreporterscouldlearnmorebyaOendingaci4zen’spoliceacademycourseordoingaride-alongwithaseasonedofficer.
Itisreallytooearlytomeasuretheimpactofbodycamerasonthehandlingofpublicrecords.Onlyaboutone-thirdofthePIOssaidtheiragenciesemployedbodycamerasandthosethathadthemsaidnotalloftheirofficerswerewearingthem.TheyaregeRngafewrequestsforbodycamerafootage,mostlyfromthemedia,butnotanoverwhelmingnumber,andmostlywhentherearecasesinvolvingthedeathofamemberofthepublicoranofficerusingbodilyforce.
Intoday’sworld,PIOsposttheirnewsreleasesontheagencieswebsiteandsendlinkstoTwiOer,Facebookandothersocialmediasites.Theamountofinforma4onpostedtosocialmediavaries,butthePIOsreportthattheuseofsocialmediahasgenerallyincreasedthenumberofcallstheygetfromthenewsmedia,ratherthanreducedit.ThePIOsdevoteaconsiderablenumberofman-hourstokeepingthewebsiteandsocialmediauptodate,butmostdonotmeasuretheeffec4venessoftheireffortsinanyscien4ficmanner.
PIOsarenotalwaystherecordscustodianfortheiragencies,althoughtheysome4meslookforrecordstoanswerques4onsbythemedia.AbouthalfreportthatthesoNwaretheyareusingisratherdatedanddoesn’tmakeiteasytoredacttheprivateinforma4on.There’snotalotoftraininggoingonforthesoNware,althoughmostreportthattheydidgetsometrainingonthestate’sopenrecordslawasitappliestopolicerecords.
SponsorsandAuthors
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ThesurveywasconductedbyDr.CarolynS.Carlson,anassociateprofessorofjournalismintheSchoolofCommunica4onandMediaatKennesawStateUniversityandamemberoftheSocietyofProfessionalJournalists’FreedomofInforma4onCommiOee.PaymonKashaniisagraduatestudentintheMasterofArtsinIntegratedGlobalCommunica4onprogramintheSchoolofCommunica4onandMediaatKennesawStateUniversity,andagraduateresearchassistanttoDr.Carlson.
TheNa4onalInforma4onOfficersAssocia4onisdedicatedtohelpingpublicinforma4onofficerslearnhowtoeffec4velydeliverthemessagesoftheirorganiza4on,withspeedandaccuracy.TheNIOAwasfoundedin1989astheonlyna4onalorganiza4ondevotedexclusivelytorepresen4ngandmee4ngtheneedsofemergencyservicesandpublicsafetyinforma4onofficers.Formoreinforma4onaboutNIOA,visitnioa.org.
TheSocietyofProfessionalJournalistsisalsoasponsorofthisproject.Foundedin1909asSigmaDeltaChi,SPJpromotesthefreeflowofinforma4onvitaltoawell-informedci4zenry,workstoinspireandeducatethenextgenera4onofjournalists;andprotectsFirstAmendmentguaranteesoffreedomofspeechandpress.Formoreinforma4onaboutSPJ,visitspj.org.
Contactinforma9on:
Dr.CarolynS.Carlson,ccarls10@kennesaw.edu,404-502-1638(cell)
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AppendixA:SurveyQues9ons
HowlonghaveyouworkedasapolicePIO?
WhatwasyourworkexperiencepriortobecomingalawenforcementPIO?
Didyouhaveanytraininginyourstate’sopenrecordslawasitappliestopolicerecords?
Whatstateisyouragencylocated?
IthinkthereportersIdealwithtypicallyunderstandthelawenforcementprocessandlegalsystem.
0-3years 50 32.3%
4-6years 37 23.9%
7-9years 22 14.2%
10-15years 18 11.6%
Morethan15years 28 18.1%
Publicrela4ons 15 9.7%
Journalism 25 16.2%
LawEnforcement 89 57.8%
Other 25 16.2%
Yes 103 67.3%
No 50 32.7%
Interna4onal 1 0.66%
Mid-West 32 21.05%
Na4onwide 2 1.32%
NorthEast 16 10.53%
South 64 42.11%
SouthWest 17 11.18%
West 20 13.16%
Stronglyagree 13 8.5%
Somewhatagree 103 67.3%
Somewhatdisagree 26 17.0%
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Whatarethetypicalareasofmisunderstandingandwhatsugges4onswouldyouoffertocorrectthem?Pleasespecify:
IfindthatthereportersIdealwithtendtobenega4velybiasedtowardthepolicesta4on.
Ibelievemyjobistomakesureaccurateinforma4onfrommyagencyisconveyedtothepublic,
Ifeeljus4fiedinnotansweringques4onsand/orrefusingreporters’interviewifIfeelitcouldrevealdamaginginforma4onaboutthelawenforcementagencyoritsemployees.
StronglydisagreeNotApplicable
110
7.2%0.0%
Misunderstanding:Courtprocedures 4 11.76%
Misunderstanding:GeneralKnowledge 5 14.71%
Misunderstand:Informa4onReleased 8 23.53%
Misunderstanding:Inves4ga4on 2 5.88%
Misunderstanding:Jurisdic4on/Records 2 5.88%
Misunderstanding:Other 7 20.59%
Sugges4on:TakeaCourse 6 17.65%
Stronglyagree 5 3.3%
Somewhatagree 45 29.8%
Somewhatdisagree 65 43.0%
StronglydisagreeNotApplicable
360
23.8%0.0%
Stronglyagree 148 98.0%
Somewhatagree 2 1.3%
Somewhatdisagree 1 0.7%
Stronglydisagree 0 0.0%
Stronglyagree 23 15.2%
Somewhatagree 20 13.2%
Somewhatdisagree 47 31.1%
Stronglydisagree 55 36.4%
Notapplicable 6 4.0%
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Myofficersknowtoandwillreferreporterstomewhentheyhavebeencontacteddirectlybyreporters.
Ifeelitnecessarytosuperviseorotherwisemonitorinterviewswithpoliceofficersfrommyagency.
Whatisyourreasonformonitoringinterviews?Pleasespecify:
TherearereportersormediaoutletsIwillnotallowofficerstotalktobecauseofproblemswiththeirstoriesinthepast.
Myrela4onshipwiththereportersIdealwithregularlyisbestdescribedas:
Stronglyagree 111 74%
Somewhatagree 39 26%
Somewhatdisagree 0 0.0%
Stronglydisagree 0 0.0%
Notapplicable 0 0.0%
Stronglyagree 46 30.7%
Somewhatagree 73 48.7%
Somewhatdisagree 19 12.7%
Stronglydisagree 5 3.3%
Notapplicable 7 4.7%
Comfort/Support 35 31.53%
ControltheMessage 70 63.06%
KeepReportersonTrack 6 5.41%
Stronglyagree 28 19.3%
Somewhatagree 44 30.3%
Somewhatdisagree 35 24.1%
Stronglydisagree 26 17.9%
Notapplicable 12 8.3%
Trus4ngandfriendly 34 23.4%
Professionalandcourteous 107 73.8%
Strictlybusiness 4 2.8%
Wetolerateeachother 0 0.0%
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HowoldistherecordsmanagementsoNwareinthecomputersystembeingusedbyyourpolicedepartment?
Doesthesystemallowyoutoeasilylocateandseparatepublicinforma4onfromprivateandinves4gatorydocuments?
Doesthesystemallowyoutoeasilylocateandseparatepublicinforma4onfromprivateandinves4gatorydocuments?If“par4ally,”pleaseexplain.
Hasthedepartmentworkedwithorganiza4onsspecializinginpublicrecords,suchasSPJorothers,todevelopasystemforeasilyandquicklyprovidingpublicrecordssoughtoutbythepublicandbyjournalists?
WereyouinstructedontheuseofrecordsmanagementsoNwareandpublicrecordssystem?
Doesyourdepartmentemploybodycameras?
Adversarial 0 0.0%
1-3years 31 21.4%
4-6years 21 14.5%
7-9years 18 12.4%
10-15years 21 14.5%
Morethan15years 10 6.9%
Idon’tknow 43 29.7%
Ourrecordsarenotcomputerized 1 0.7%
Yes 70 50.4%
No 38 27.3%
Par4ally 31 22.3%
Redac4ons 13 54.17%
Other 11 45.83%
Yes 22 15.5%
No 63 44.4%
Idon’tknow 57 40.1%
Yes,thoroughly 42 29.8%
Yes,somewhat 75 53.2%
No,notatall 24 17.0%
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Whatpercentageofyourpoliceforcewearsbodycameras?
Doesyourdepartmenthavepolicies(orlaws)regardingreleaseofbodycamerainforma4ontothepublicorthemedia?
Doesyourdepartmenthavepolicies(orlaws)regardingreleaseofbodycamerainforma4ontothepublicorthemedia?Ifyes,howdoesthepolicyonthebodycamerafootageaddresspublicaccesstothefootage?Pleasespecify:
Onaverageandnottakingintoaccountspecialcases,howoNendoyougetrequestsforbodycamerafootage?
Whichofthefollowingsitua4onsorcaseshasyouragencyhadthathavepromptedrequestsforbodycamerafootage:Clickasmanyasapply
Yes 49 34.3%
No 94 65.7%
Morethan75% 20 39.2%
50-74% 7 13.7%
25-49% 4 7.8%
Lessthan25% 20 39.2%
Yes 40 78.4%
No 4 7.8%
Don’tknow 7 13.7%
ANerInves4ga4onRequest 12 33.33%
Law 6 16.67%
Other 18 50%
Everydayornearlyeveryday 0 0.0%
Atleastonceaweek 5 10.4%
Atleastonceamonth 10 20.8%
Atleastonceeveryfewmonths 12 25.0%
Atleastonceayear 8 16.7%
Never 13 27.1%
Ashoo4ngwhereamemberofthepublicwaskilledaNerbeingshotbyalawenforcementofficer
14 48.3%
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WhichtypeofthefollowingscenescapturesonthebodycamerafootagearemostoNenredacted,oreditedout,beforethefootageisreleasedtothepublic?Clickasmanyasapply
Whatpropor4onoftherequestforbodycamerafootageareyouabletogrant(evenaNeredi4ng)?
Ashoo4ngwhereamemberofthepublicwasinjuredaNerbeingshotbyalawenforcementofficer
7 24.1%
Ashoo4ngwherealawenforcementofficerwaskilled 0 0.0%
Ashoo4ngwherealawenforcementofficerwasinjured 4 13.8%
Acallforserviceresponsewheretherewasanallegedracialorethnicremarksused
9 31.0%
Acallforserviceresponsewheretherewasaneedforbodilyforcetobeusedbyalawenforcementofficer
18 62.1%
Acallforserviceinvolvingamemberofthepublicconsideredacelebrity,poli4cian,etc.
6 20.7%
Aroad-relatedeventsuchavehicleaccident 10 34.5%
Aconfronta4onbetweenalawenforcementofficerandamemberofthepublic 15 51.7%
Aprotestordemonstra4on 6 20.7%
Other 12
Faces/iden44esofofficers 5 23.8%
Faces/iden44esofthosearrested 4 19.0%
Faces/iden44esofvic4ms 15 71.4%
Faces/iden44esofpeopleinvolvedinthecallforservicewhowerenotarrestedorconsideredavic4m
14 66.7%
Face/iden44esofundercoverofficersorinformants 17 81.0%
Whatthedepartmentconsidersgraphicimagesorinjuries 11 52.4%
Whatthedepartmentconsiderstobeinappropriatelanguageorunnecessarilyembarrassingfootage(suchasanakedperson)
10 47.6%
Loca4oniden4fyinginforma4on,likestreetsigns,housenumbers,etc. 3 14,3%
Licenseplatenumbers 7 33.3%
Other 15
All 3 7.3%
Almostall 5 12.2%
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TherequestsforbodycamerafootagemostoNencomefrom
Howmuchinforma4onaboutcrimesandincidentsdoyoupostonyouragency’swebsite,e-blastlistoritssocialmediaaccounts(TwiOer,Facebook)?
HowquicklyaNerpolicelearnoftheincidentareyoutypicallyabletopostthebasicinforma4ononthewebsiteorsocialmediaaccounts?
Whatarethecriteriathattriggerasocialmediapos4ng?Pleasespecify:
Mostofthem 8 19.5%
Someofthem 8 19.5%
Fewofthem 2 4.9%
Hardlyanyofthem 3 7.3%
None 12 29.3%
Media 21 58.3%
Public 2 5.6%
Lawyers 13 36.1%
Other 7
Wepostthecrimeincidentreportandanewsrelease 11 7.7%
Wepostanewsreleasewithdetailedinforma4on 68 47.9%
Wepostashortsynopsiswithlinkstothecrimeincidentreportand/oradetailednewsrelease
25 17.6%
Wepostashortsynopsiswithnolinks 24 16.9%
Wetypicallydonotpostinforma4ononourwebsiteand/orsocialmediaaccountsaboutcrimeandincidents.
14 9.9%
Withinminutes 44 35.8%
Withinhours 53 43.1%
Withinaday 23 18.7%
Withinafewdays 3 2.4%
Newsworthy/Events/Impact 59 51.75%
NoCriteria/NA 5 4.39%
Other 7 6.14%
� 21
Ifareporterasksyouforinforma4onnotincludedonthewebsiteorsocialmediaaccounts,howquicklyareyoutypicallyabletorespondtothequeryiftheinforma4onisavailableforrelease?
Howmuchhassocialmediachangedthenumberofdirectcontactsyougetfromthenewsmedia?
HowhasthenatureofyourmediaquerieschangedsinceyoustartedpuRnginforma4onoutonsocialmedia?Pleasespecify.
Whatpercentageofthepublicinforma4onoffice’sresources(i.e.manhours)isspentonanaverageweekupda4ngthewebsite,sendinge-blastsandupda4ngthesocialmediaaccounts?
PressRelease 5 4.39%
PublicSafety 33 28.95%
VeOed/PersonalChoice 5 4.39%
Immediately 14 11.3%
Withinminutes 66 53.2%
Withinhours 37 29.8%
Withindays 1 0.8%
Atleastbeforetheirdeadline 6 4.8%
Increaseddirectcontactoverall 52 42.3%
Reduceddirectcontactsby75-100percent 1 0.8%
Reduceddirectcontactby50-74percent 11 8.9%
Reduceddirectcontactsby25-49percent 11 8.9%
Reduceddirectcontactsbylessthan24percent 10 8.1%
Don’tknow 38 30.9%
Crea4ngaStory 11 10.48%
DecreasedRequests 12 11.43%
IncreasedRequests-- 25 23.81%
No-orLiOle-Change 16 15.24%
Other 15 14.29%
RequestforMoreInforma4on 16 15.24%
Unknown/NA 10 9.52%
Morethan75percent 12 9.8%
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Howdoyoumeasuretheeffec4venessorthereturnontheinvestmentyourofficeispuRngintosocialmediaefforts?
Atwhatlevelofgovernmentdoyouwork?
Whatisyourgender?
50to74percent 26 21.1%
25to49percent 46 37.4%
Lessthan24percent 39 31.7%
Anecdotally 27 23.9%
Bycasualobserva4ons 43 38.1%
In-houseanalysis 34 30.1%
Outsidemediamonitoringservices 9 8.0%
Other 14
Federal 3 2.2%
State 18 13.1%
County 48 35%
Municipal 68 49.6%
Tribal 0 0.0%
Other 4
Male 80 58.4%
Female 57 41.6%
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AppendixB:Open-endedresponsesQues4on11Whatarethetypicalareasofmisunderstandingandwhatsugges4onswouldyouoffertocorrectthem?Pleasespecify:
Howthejus4cesystemworks.Mediafeelsthatweare"against"themanddon'twanttoprovideinforma4on.
Theydonotunderstandwhatinforma4oncanbeprovidedunderFloridarecordslaw.
Patrolresponseanddu4es.Inves4ga4veprocedures.Caselaw
Reportersdon'tknowbasiclawsorwhatpolicedoonadaytodaybasis.Theyshouldtaketrainingonstateandlocallawsanddoaridealongwithapoliceman.
Theprocessesdonotseemdis4ncttoreporters.Crime,inves4ga4on,arrest,interroga4on/interview,booking,bail,arraignment,etc.
Useofforce,rulesofevidence,probablecause,terminology.There'salsoageneralmisunderstandingofoverallprocedureswhich,justlikethepublic,stemsfromrelyingonTVshowsandmoviesastheirbasisforhowpoliceworkisdone.
Ques4onistooallinclusive.Understandingvariesgreatlyamongdifferentjournalists.
Reportersdon'tunderstandthedifferencebetweenandarrestdocumentandanindictment.Nolurkingaboutjudicialprocess
releasingcertaininforma4onasitpertainstotheinves4ga4on
Theneedtoprotecttheintegrityoftheinves4ga4onbynotreleasingcertaindetails.Takingthe4metoexplaininsteadofjustsayingnooNenhelps.
Jurisdic4on,openrecords
TheyoNendon'tunderstandourneedforkeepinginves4ga4vedetailsprivate.Theydon'tunderstandthejobsofanofficer/detec4ve,whatgoesintoacallforservice,aninves4ga4on,whythingscantakelongerthantheythinktheyshould,etc.Idomybesttoexplaintothemingeneraltermswhythingsarethewaytheyare,andsome4mesIusepast(adjudicated)caseexamplestomakemypoint.
ThereseemstobeliOletrainingorevenpassingalongofinforma4ontonewhiresinthemedia.Ispendalotof4meexplainingprocessesandterminologyasitpertainstoLE.
NounderstandingofthecourtsystemandveryliOleoflawenforcement.Havebeeninstruc4ngreportersonaoneononebasis.
Theroleoflawenforcementinthecriminaljus4cesystem;ourreleaseofinforma4onandhowitworkswithaninves4ga4on;andthedefini4onofarealstory.Alljournalistscouldbenefitfromaci4zen’spoliceacademycourse,agreaterunderstandingofwhatpolicedo,suchasthroughridealongsandlookingatthebiggerpictureofissuesratherthanjusttryingtofindastorytomeettheircreateddeadline
Thereportersinouragencyareveryyoungandinexperienced.Theytypicallydon'tunderstandjurisdic4onaldifferences.Idon'thavesugges4onsforcorrec4on.Ithinkeduca4onofthemediaispartofourjob.
Typicallythejudicialprocessispoorlyunderstood.Fromwarranttoarresttocourtproceedings.
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Laws,policies,useofforcematrix,thedailydictatesoflawenforcement.AnumberofareaPIOshavetriedtoholdeduca4onalforums-notforonlythecrimereporters,butforeditors,columnists,opinionwritersandsuch-buttheycannotbebotheredtolearn.Theins4tu4onsrefusetopar4cipate.
Theyshouldlearnthedifferencebetweenaburglaryandarobbery-numberoneerrormadebyTVreporters;Theyshouldtakeaci4zen’spoliceacademytolearnabouttheagencyheorshecovers;theyshouldalsodoridealongsorasktoaOendtrainings.
Jurisdic4onclarifica4onandpublicrecordstraining
agencyconfusion,pullingrecords,accessinginforma4on.
ColoradoOpenRecordsLaws-CriminalJus4ceRecordsAct-specificdisqualifiersforreleaseofinforma4on.TheprocessofcriminalchargesthroughouttheCriminalJus4ceSystem.Jointtrainingsonthelawstheywanttoexploitandcircumvent.TrainingonCriminalJus4ceRecordsActandourlimita4onsregardingthereleaseofinforma4on.
Moreunderstandingofpoliceopera4onsandtheCriminalJus4cesystemwouldbehelpful.AOendingCi4zenPoliceAcademiesandotherlearningopportuni4escanbehelpful.
The4meittakestogetacasefromarres4ngasuspecttothatsuspectbeingformallychargedwiththecrime.Onepoten4alsolu4onwouldbetohaveaquick1-2hourtrainingclassonceayearforlocaljournalists,oratleastthenewones.
BecausetherearenobeatreportersinthemediamarketsIdealwith,fewifanyunderstandlawenforcement,thejudicialsystemorthelaw.Withanareaofinterestsoconsequen4al,havingbeatreportersorevenabaselineofunderstandingwouldbebeneficial.Ispendalotof4meeduca4ngreporterswhichI'mhappytodo,buttheycouldfindthisinforma4onontheirownwithaliOledirec4onfromtheirmanagement,whichalsoisn'toccurring.
Reportersinthismarketaregenerallyrightoutofcollegewithnoexperience.ManyarefromotherstatesbecauseofourproximitytoCampLejeuneUSMCBase.Iwouldsuggestthatreportersandjournalistseducatethemselvesandaskques4ons.
Generallawenforcementandcourtprocedures.
Jurisdic4on,releaseofinforma4onrelatedtovic4msandjuveniles,releaseofinforma4oncri4caltotheintegrityofaninves4ga4on. Iwouldrecommendrequiredtrainingforjournaliststobeabletorequestinforma4onfromlawenforcementagencies.
Justagenerallackofknowledgeinprocedure,terminology,andetc.
Informa4onaboutacase,isusuallys4llinprogress.S4cktothebasics.
ReportersoNendonotunderstandtheroleoftheDAasitrelatestocasemanagement;and,courtsasitrelatestopreandpost-trialac4ons.Processingofjuvenilesisevenmoreconfusing.
Ithinksomeofthemdonotunderstandthedifferencebetweenanarrestandbookingthesuspectintoajailfacilityandanarrestinwhichthepersonwasissuedasummons(mostlywithmisdemeanorarrests.Somedonottakethe4metounderstandorresearchthecriminalstatutestounderstandwhyapersonwaschargedwithwhattheywerecharged.InquiteafewinstancesIwouldhavetoexplainspecificallywhathestatutestatedforthemtounderstandthereasoning.Statute4tlesdon'talwaysencompassalloftheac4onsthatapersoncanbechargedwithforthatpar4cularstatute.
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IPRAlaws,HIPAAlaws,andgeneralprivacyactlaws.
Reportersdon'tknowthedifferencebetweenacriminalcomplaintandanindictment.Mostreportersdonotunderstandthejudicialsystem,andfew,ifany,haveagraspoftheprocessesthatgovernthelawenforcementcommunity
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Ques4on17Whatisyourreasonformonitoringinterviews?Pleasespecify:
Moresotomaketheofficermorecomfortablewiththemediaandansweranyques4ons.
ToensurethatthecorrectmessageisgeRngout.Also,makingsurethattheyarenotrevealinginforma4onthatisnotreleasable.
Bethereiftheyhaveaques4onorneedaddi4onalinforma4on
Toensurethereporterisfairandaccurate.Toassistthelawenforcementofficerincasehehasissueswiththereporter.
Makesuretheystaywithinpolicy
Consistencyininforma4onreleased.Observethereporters’demeanor.Futuretrainingpurposes.
Primarilytoprovidesupportforthestaffmemberspeakingtothemediaandtoensurethatareporterstaysontopic.
BecauseIworkdirectlyfortheChiefofPolicewhoshouldalwaysknowwhenamemberofhis/herdepartmentisconduc4nganinterview
Tomakesuretheappropriateinforma4onisprovideandthatthemessageisconveyedappropriately.
SoIknowwhathasbeensaidtorepresenttheagency.ThePIOisresponsibleforMediacontact.
Toensureconsistent,accurateinforma4onisconveyed.
TheSheriffrequeststhatIdothat.
Makesuretheydonotrevealanyinforma4onthatisexemptfrompublicrecord,soastonotviolatethelaworcompromiseacriminalinves4ga4on
Informa4onandtoensurethattheinterviewsstaywithintheparametersthatwewant
Tomakesurethatthereporterstaysontopicandsodoestheofficer.
UsuallyattherequestofofficerandensuretheydidagoodjobtorelaytotheChief
Toensuretheflowofinforma4onisappropriategiventhecircumstancesofthecaseinvolved
Tomaintainconsistencyinmessaging.
Theinterviewee'slackofmediaexperience.Toassurethatmyagency'smessagewasconveyedproperly.Toassistifneeded.
reporterscantakeadvantageofthosethatarenotfamiliarwiththeprocessandwhatmayormaynotbereleased
Itisimportantformetoknowwhatinforma4ontheyarerelayingtomakesuremessageisconsistentthroughoutthedepartment.
Forfollowupques4onsandtokeepreportersontopic
Dependsontheinterview.Somecaseswedon'twantcertainthingsrevealedtothepublic
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Toensureuniformityofinforma4onreleaseandconsistentmessagingifmorethanonepersonisgivinganintervieworstatement.
Keeptheinterviewontrack
Itmakesthemmorecomfortable.Theyfeelliketheyhaveanexperttoguidethem.Theyaskforadviceandassistanceonhowtointeractwiththereporters.Also,iftheysaysomethingunexpected,I'llknowrightawayinsteadofcatchingitonthenews.IfI'mpresent,usuallyIcantalkthereportersintonotusingsoundbitesthatwe'renotcomfortablewith.
Informa4onformediamonitoring
Standardizemessageandpreventgaffes
Iftherearefollowupques4onsorissueswithwhatwassaid,Iamtheonethatwillques4oned.Manyofficersdonottrustreporters.
Toensurethattheofficerconduc4ngtheinterviewdoesnotrevealinforma4onwhichwouldbeadetrimenttoanongoinginves4ga4on.
Beingawareofwhatissaid,messaging
Toofferhelpfuladviceforlaterinterviews,cri4queresponsesandensureaccuracy
Unityofmessagerefrainfromdiscussingpolicy.
Ifthereisapar4cularlyconten4ousorcomplicatedtopic,Iprefertobetheretoassistwithanswers/clarifica4on
Keepingjournalistsontopicandin-bounds
toensurethereleaseofaccurateinfoensurereportersareac4ngwithinparameters
Mostly,ourofficersareuncomfortablespeakingtothemedia.Iamtheretore-assurethem.Imayalsoaddininforma4onorclarifystatementsifIfeelthereportercouldmisinterpretthem.
some4mesonlyspecificinforma4onshouldbereleased,someofficerdonotliketospeaktothemedia
Accuracy,agencymessaging,protec4onofagency&staff.Truthfulness
makingsureIknowwhatinforma4onisgeRngoutsoweareallgivingthesameinforma4on
Thefirst4metheydoaninterviewtomakesuretheyunderstandandarecomfortable
Mostofthe4meit'sbecausetheofficerisnotcomfortabledoinganintervieweventhoughtheyareusuallyasubjectmaOerexpert.Some4mesIwillmonitorifthetopicissensi4ve,justtoplaythe'badguy'behindthecamerathatcantellthereporterwhatcanorcannottalkabout.
Imonitortheinterviewstokeepthereporterontasktowhytheinterviewwasrequested.I'vehadreportersaOempttofishforinforma4ononotherincidentsinsteadoffocusingonthecurrentinterview.
Iwanttobethereiftheyneedassistancewiththeirresponses,andIwanttomakesurethattheinforma4ontheyarepuRngouttothemediaisconsistentwithwhatIorotherrepresenta4vesarepuRngout.
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RoadofficersarenotaccustomedtobeinginterviewedbythemediaasthePIOorCommandStaffare.IamtheretobemoreofacomforttotheofficersotheyaremoreopentothereporterthantheynormallywouldbeifIwerenotthere.
Tomakesuretheofficerfeelscomfortablethattheyarenot"leNtothewolves"andtomakesurethereporterisnotaskingques4onsthatwearenotallowedtoansweraccordingtoOpenRecordsLaws,departmentpolicy,andstatelaw.
Tomaintainarecordoftheinterview.ONensoundbitesandsupposedquotesareoutofcontextorinaccurateandmyadministra4onwantsapreciserecordofwhatwasdiscussedintheinterview.
TomakesureIknowwhatisbeingputout.
Accuracyandtomaketheofficerfeelcomfortableabouttheanswersgiven.
Tomakesuretheofficerstaysonmessageandisnotputonthespotonanothertopic.
SoIknowwhatisaskedandanswered
Stylis4cinstruc4on,educa4ngOfficersinprovidingthebestinforma4on,encouragingaposi4veinterac4onwithjournalists.
Monitoringaccuracyinrepor4ngbytheinterviewingjournalist;alsoasa"fallback"sourceshouldtheintervieweeneedassistancewithansweringques4ons.
Becauseofficersarenotaccustomedtospeakingwithjournalistsandtheymightnotunderstandsomethingthathasbeenaskedofthem.
Tobesureourofficersareconveyingpropermessaging.
Tomakesuretheintervieweeiscomfortableandunderstandstheques4ons;toassistthereporterwithansweringques4onsthatpersonmaynotknowtheanswerto;andtobeabletobriefmycommandstaffonthestory
Iwanttobefamiliarwithanypublicinforma4onthat'sgoingoutaboutouragency,nomaOerfromwhomitoriginates.Ialsowanttobeavailabletoassistifourofficersareaskedques4onstheyaren'tequippedorcomfortableanswering.Lastly,ifIaskanofficertodoanoncamera,it'simportantthatImakemyselfavailabletothem.
OfficeriscomfortablewithinterviewerConsistencywithmessageOverallsupport
Toensureaccuratestatementsarebeingrecorded
Notnecessarily"monitoring"-justbeingtherefortheofficer'smoralsupportandtoobjecttoany"outofline"ques4ons.
tomakesurethemediadoesnottrytoaskques4onsthatmayjeopardizeaninves4ga4on
PAOsupport
ImainlymonitorbecauseanOfficerrequestsmetobepresentduringaninterviewwiththemedia.
tohelpensureaccuracyoftheresponsesprovidedduringtheinterviewprocess
� 29
IncaseassistanceisneededandtoreassurethosewithliOlemediaexperience.
Ensureaccurateinforma4onisprovided,ensureaccurateinforma4onisreported,andbeavailableifthepersonbeingintervieweddoesnothaveananswer.
Toavertanyunintendedmisleadingorincorrectinforma4on.Toensureallessen4alinforma4onisgiven.Toensurejournalistques4onsarefairandthatwearetheappropriateagencytobegivingaresponse.
IfmediamanagementismyprimaryresponsibilityIcannoteffec4velyfulfillthatresponsibilitywithoutmonitoringagency/mediainterac4ons.
Moretokeepthemontrackthananythingelse.What'smoreimportantistocoachthembeforetheinterviewisconductedtomakethemfamiliarwithanyredflagindicators.
Toensureourmissionandgoalsareproperlycommunicatedtothepublic.
Forrepor4ngofwhatisbeingsaidtomyChiefandalsotovetanyconcerningques4onsthatmightnotneedtobeanswered
Officersinexperiencewithinterviews
Uniformityandconformity
Ourofficersanddetec4vesarejustthat-officersanddetec4ves.Theydonothaveexperienceingivinginterviews.Theyaregenerallynotcomfortableinfrontofacamera.Mypresencegivesthemthatextrasenseofsecuritythatifareportertriestoaskthemaques4onthatisofflimits,Iwillstepinandhandleitforthem.
Tobeinvolvedinwhatinforma4onisspokenonbehalfofouragency.
Intervieweesinexperiencedandbearesourceforthosebeinginterviewed,ensuringthemessagewewanttoconveyisclear,monitoring.
SothatIamawareofwhatinforma4onisbeingprovided
Iliketohearwhatisbeingsaid,betheretoansweraddi4onalques4onsandclarifyanythingthatneedstobeclarified.
Toensuretheintegrityofac4veinves4ga4ons.SomeoftheDepu4esarenotawareofwhatispublicinforma4onandwhatisnot.
Tomakesurethatinforma4onthatshouldnotgetreleaseddoesnotgetreleasedimproperly
Informa4onaccuracyandcon4nuityforrequestsfromnumerousnewsorganiza4ons.Newsorganiza4onscanbejealousiftheyperceivethereis"playingfavorites"orprovidingdetailstoonereporterthatisnotprovidedtoanotheruponrequest.
Compliancewithlawregardingconfiden4ality
Ensureaccurateinforma4onisconveyed,providesupportandassistance,documentstatementsforrecordreten4onandfurtherclarifica4on,ifnecessary.
IliketoknowwhatofficersaresayingincaseIgetques4onsfrommysuperiorsorfromCityHall.Ialsoliketomakesurethereportersaren'ttryingtotaketheinterviewinadifferentdirec4onthanwhattheyrequested.
� 30
Iliketoensurethatouragencyconveysonelikemessage.Thetopicoftheinterviewmayariseagainwithanothermediaoutletandthemessageneedstobethesameevenifthesamepersonisunavailableforthefollowinginterviews.
ToensurethatareporterisnotseRngupanofficerforafailedinterview
Toinsurethatnoinforma4onisreleasedthatmaycompromiseanongoinginves4ga4on
Itdependsonthesitua4on,andtheleveloftrustwiththereporter,butIdothiswhenpersonneldoesn'thavemediatrainingorunderstandtheintricaciesofaninterview.
OurpolicyrequiresthatonlysupervisorsorthosedesignatedbytheChiefareauthorizedtospeakonbehalfoftheagency.From4metoa4me,alineofficerisu4lizedforinterviews.Myreasonformonitoringinterviewsistoprovidesupportandensurethatwearewithinpolicyregula4ons.
PerourpolicyIortheSheriffspeaktothemediabutIhaveenlistedsubjectmaOerexpertsinsomecaseswhenappropriate
RecordinterviewswithStaffmemberstoensurethemessageconveyedbythereportershasnotbeendistorted
dependsontheofficer,butmainlytobeintheknow
toensuretheydon'tprovideinforma4onthatisnotreleasable
Usuallytheywantmethere.Itputsthematease,anditputsmeandtheadministra4onateasetoknowIamtherewiththem.
Toens”urethecorrectin4ma4onisprovidedinaprofessionalmanner.
Ourofficerstendtogointo"cop-speak."Mostdon'twanttobeinvolvedwithreporters
Iden4fyinforma4onneededforfollow-up,learnmoreaboutsubjectmaOerexperts'informa4on,provideclarifica4oniftheinterviewsubjectisn'tfamiliarenoughwithtopic,supportnervousemployees,iden4fyfuturepoten4alPIOs,buildarela4onshipwithreporterandsubjectmaOerexpert.
Toensurethattheinforma4ontobegivenisproperlypresentedsothatthepubliccannotbemisledbyour(dept.)statements
Tohelpofficersfeelmorecomfortableinsitua4onswheretheycannotansweraques4on.Ihavefounditiseasierformetostopthereporterwhentheystartaskingques4onsthatcoulddamageaninves4ga4on.Officerstendtonotbeknowledgeableintheoverallbigpictureofthedepartmentandmypresencecansupplementanswersthattheydon'tknowwhichgivesthereporterabeOeroverallinterview.
MyresponsibilityasaP.I.O.
Makesurereportersstaywithinthepresetboundariesandprovideaddi4onalcontextwhennecessary.
Tobesurethatofficersareadheringtolegalrestric4onsonreleasinginforma4on.
ToprovidetheofficerswithalevelofcomfortthatIamtheretosupportthem,toensurethattheirmessagingisaccurate,toensurethatIamapprisedofthenatureoftheques4onsthatmaynecessitateanyfollow-uponmypart,andtoensurethatthejournalistactsappropriatelyandstayswithintheinterviewguidelinesthatwereagreedupon.
� 31
Itwoulddependontheindividualofficer.Itmaybetheofficerisnewertothedepartmentorsimplythatsomeofficersareverybluntintheredeliveryandwhatandhowtheysaysomethingwhileaccuratecanbetakencompletelyoutofcontext.AndinsomecasestheofficermayhavealotmoreworkingknowledgeofthesubjectmaOerthanIdo.ForinstancewhentalkingaboutK-9opera4ons,thatofficerknowsmoredetailsthanIdoasIhaveneverbeenaK-9officer.Eventhenallofficerstendtogetnervousinfrontofacameraandmaynotsaywhattheymean.IdiditwhenIfirststartedasPIO,butwith4meandexperiencecomescalmandbeOerrelayingofinforma4on.Thatwaytheinforma4onisaccurateandbeOerunderstood.
Tomakesureofficersarenotmisquoted
Toensurethataccurateinforma4onisgiven.Alsotoensurethemediadoesn’taskques4onsinanaOempttogetinforma4onwewouldn’tordinarilysupply.
Theyhavenotrainingandmaysaysomethingthatshouldnotbepublicinforma4onatthe4me.
Incasemyofficerrunsintoaproblem;toactasawitness
Imonitorinterviewstobeawareoftheinforma4ontheintervieweeispuRngoutonbehalfoftheagency,butalsotolimitthedisclosureofconfiden4alorprivilegedinforma4on
Unlesstheyaregivenbytheagencyheadorcommandstaff,toensurethepropermessageisgiventothereporterandpublic
Troopersarenottrainedtodealwiththemedia
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Ques4on21Doesthesystemallowyoutoeasilylocateandseparatepublicinforma4onfromprivateandinves4gatorydocuments?If“par4ally,”pleaseexplain.
Thereareredac4onfunc4onsbutwes4llhavetouseAdobetoensureitisfullyredactedasallowedbyGeorgiaOpenRecordsAct.
Manualtracking
Ifthereareaddi4onaldocumentsaOachedintheoriginalreport.Allpublicrecordsrequestsarehandledbyourrecordsbureau/cityclerk'soffice.NotthePIOforofficialrecords
Someitemsareautoma4callyredactedandsomeitemsmustbedonemanually
Everythingdocumentedbyalawenforcementagencyhasthepoten4altobeconsideredinves4gatory.
Informa4oninourrecordssystemmustberedactedbycomputersoNwareorbyhanddependingonthetypeofrecord.Personaliden4fyinginforma4onisnotautoma4callyredactedeither.
Thereisaredactfeaturelistedbutnotused.
BasedonLouisianapublicrecordlaws,somethingsareobvious(blackandwhite)astowhethertheycanbereleasedpublicly,whileothersareupforinterpreta4on.Ul4mately,IonlyreleasewhatIKNOWtobepublicrecord.Otherwise,IwouldhavethereportermakeanofficialrecordsrequestwhichishandledbyourstaffaOorney,notmeasthePIO.
Is4llhavetousemyownjudgmentorgetadvicefromdetec4vesonwhethercertaininforma4oncan/shouldbereleased.
Ithasredac4onbuiltin,butnotperfect-recordsstaffandIs4llhavetodohandredac4on.WorkingonthiswithsoNwarecompany.
OurRMSgeneratesPDFdocuments.Weuseacombina4onofRMStoolsandPDFredac4ngtoolstoensureonly"righttoknow"informa4onisreleased.
Idon'tknowifIcanaccuratelyexplain.
Formediadistribu4on,Imustredactphonenumbersonreportsandsocialsecuritynumbersanddriverlicensenumbersonwarrants.
WehavepubliccopiesofreportsbutoNenprovideaddi4onalinforma4onuponrequestifitdoesn'tinterferewithaninves4ga4onorviolateconfiden4alityorprivacylaws.
Therearedifferentaccesslevelsintheprogram,sotheinves4gatoryproductisgenerallynotaccessible,butsome4mestoomuchinforma4onisputintheini4alreportwhichisaccessibletothepublic.
Itisincumbentonmyofficetolookatwhatisinves4ga4ve,cleared,expungedorsealed,etc.
Thesystemweusewasoriginallystartedin1993andhashadnumerousupdatesandupgradesovertheyears.Someofthefunc4onsaresome4messketchy.
Mustbeabletodeterminepublicandprivatecopiesofreports.
Ifaninves4ga4oniss4llon-goingIconferwiththedetec4vetoensureeviden4aryinforma4onisnotreleasedifitisincludedintheini4alpolicereport.
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Informa4ononpublicversionsofreportsdiffersslightlydependingonwhichmodulesofthesystemyouuse.Wedohaveaveryuser-friendlypublic-facingmodulethatallowspeopletogetcrashreportsandpubliccasereports.Istronglyencouragedepartmentstogetcrimemapping.comsoresidentscanseewhatcrimetrendsareintheirneighborhood.
Someinforma4ons4llhastoberedactedmanually
Phoneinforma4onispresentonincidentreportsandmustberedactedbeforeforwardingtothemedia.Socialsecuritynumbersanddriver'slicensenumbersarepresentonwarrantsandmustberedactedbeforeforwardingtothemedia.
Ihaveasec4onIcanu4lizethatmostotherscannotaccess.
Icanfindtheinforma4onbutImustredactorlimitwhatisputout
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Ques4on27Doesyourdepartmenthavepolicies(orlaws)regardingreleaseofbodycamerainforma4ontothepublicorthemedia?Ifyes,howdoesthepolicyonthebodycamerafootageaddresspublicaccesstothefootage?Pleasespecify:
Footageisconsideredinves4gatoryinnatureandnotreleasedunderGeorgiaOpenRecordsAct.Oncethecaseisdisposedofthefootageisopentothepublicuponrequest.
FootagefallsundertheOpenRecordsActwhichisveryspecificonwhatisreleasable.
regulatedbyWashingtonstatelaw
451.9BWVFILESREQUEST AgencyContentA.DepartmentalRequests1.Anyrequestshallbecompletedbytheassignedcaseagentwithsupervisorapproval.B.Non-DepartmentalRequests1.AllotherrequestsforaBWVfileshallbeacceptedandprocessedinaccordancewithfederal,state,localstatutesanddepartmentalpolicy(publicrecordsact,etc.)assetforthinDepartmentalPolicy810–RecordsReleaseandSecurity. 2.Mediainquiriesand/orrequestsshallbereceivedandprocessedinaccordancewithDepartmentalPolicy346–MediaRela4ons. 3.AllNon-departmentalrequestsshallbeapprovedbytheChiefofPoliceordesignee.C.RequestforDele4onofAccidentalRecording1.Intheeventofanaccidentalac4va4onoftheBWVwheretheresul4ngrecordingisofnoinves4ga4veoreviden4aryvalue,therecordingemployeemayrequestthattheBWVfilebedeletedbysubmiRnganemailrequestwithsufficientinforma4ontolocatetheBWVfiletotheShiN/DivisionLieutenant.TheShiN/DivisionLieutenantshallreviewthefile,approveordenytherequestandforwardtotheSystemAdministratorforac4on.D.CopyingProcedures1.CopyingofvideosfromEvidence.comwillbedoneonaverylimitedbasis.RequeststosharevideoevidencemadebytheDistrictAOorney’sofficeoralliedagenciesshouldbedoneelectronicallythroughevidence.comunlessaspecialcircumstancearises.Iftherecordingisdownloadedtoadevice/cd,anoteshallbeaOachedtotherecordinginevidence.comsta4ngthepurposeforthedownloadandthesupervisorauthorizingthedownload/copying.
WefollowFloridastatute119andwillcitetheexemp4onifwerefusetoreleaseanyvideo.
Itwillbetreatedthesameascamerafootagethatoriginatedfromavehicle.Releaseduponrequest,unlessit'spartofanongoinginves4ga4onornon-adjudicatedcase.
Wearejuststar4ngintheuseofbodycameras.Ourfootageiskeptfor90daysunlessneededevidenceorotherpurposes.Thepubliccanrequestfootageinthesamemannertheywouldrequestanyotherinforma4onthatisavailabletothepublic.
AccessisgrantedonalimitedbasisasrelatedtoasprefixcasesthatareclearlynotvvuriparO.Ofanac4veandongoinginves4ga4on
sameasdashcamvideosandotherrecords
nopublicaccess
Supervisorreviewtomakesurethefootageisnoteviden4aryinnature
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Followsthestateopenrecordsact
Allfootageisconsideredinves4gatoryinnatureun4lanyandallpendingcourtac4oniscompletedorfootagehasbeendeemednotintegralintheinves4ga4onorfootageisnecessarytoreleaseforthepublic'swelfare.
Anythingthatwouldotherwisebeopentothepublicisnotreleasablesuchasinsideahomeorahospital.
Aslongasthevideoisnotpartofalawsuititisaccessible.
Toolongtolist
Itisreleasablewhentheincidentinves4ga4oniscomplete.
Asanyrecord,onacasebycasebasis,consideringwhetherornotitisconsideredasevidence.
Recentenactedstatelawdoesnotallowforgeneralpublicaccess.
AllrequestsmustgothroughourOpenRecordsUnit.
Itdependsonthecaseandtheinves4ga4on.Nothingisreleasedexternallyun4ltheinternalinves4ga4oniscompleted.
Footageispartofthecriminalinves4ga4onfilesoitisnotpublicinforma4on.
Thesameasanyotherpublicrecord.Allvideoandaudiofallsintothiscategory.Excep4onsarecourtholdsandac4veinves4ga4ons.
PublicRecordsLawofNC
no
Ifthefootagetakenisunderinves4ga4onforacrime,pendingcourtorunderinternalinves4ga4onthepublicwillnothaveaccess.Asweallknowthisisagrayareaacrossthecountry.
Footageisonlyforcourtprocedure.
Regardedasevidenceinthecase.MediamustobtainacourtorderorpermissionfromtheChieftorelease.
I'mnotsureofthepolicyperse.Theyaredeployedinotherunitsofthedepartment.Notmineasofyet.
RequestsforfootageismadethroughRecordsStaffasarecordsrequestandeachisapprovedordeniedbyadivisioncommander.
Currentlynopublicaccess.Footagemaybepartofacriminalinves4ga4on,personnelrecord,orboth.Weareworkingwithlegislatorsforalessrestric4velaws.
ThroughGeorgiaOpenRecords
OpenrecordsrequestisrequiredthroughthecityaOorney'soffice
OPENINVESTIGATIONAREKEPTASEVIDENCEUNLESSDISTRICTATTORNEYALLOWSRELEASE
Footagemustberequestedunderthestate'sopenPublicRecordsAct(OPRA)andmustnotbepartofanongoinginves4ga4on.
Casebycasebasis
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� 37
Ques4on36Whatarethecriteriathattriggerasocialmediapos4ng?Pleasespecify:
Safetyconcerns
Shoo4ngs,majoraccident,weatherrelatedissues,trafficrelatedissues
Fatalcrashes,someofthemoreseriousinjurycrashes
newsworthyorsignificantevents
publicconcern/safety
Anythingthatmaybeofinteresttothepublic
Majorevents,goodPRforthedepartment,newsworthyevents
DangertoofficersorthepublicPublicinforma4onaboutagencyservices
Incidentsrequiringrerou4ngoftraffic,majorcrimes,incidentsthatrepresentathreattothecommunity.
Ifitisusefultothesafetyofthepublic,suchastrafficfatali4es,streetclosures,dangeroussitua4ons.
Anythingthatcouldinformpublictobesafeinasitua4on. Also,anyaccoladesorgooddeedsdonebytheSheriff'sofficeorpersonnel.
Athreattothecommunity,orvideofootageofasuspectwheretheiriden4fyisunknown
Numberonereason-PublicSafety.Whetherisatrafficissue,ac4veshooter,oranyincidentinvolvingpublicsafety,it'sthepriority.Numbertworeason-Educa4on.Suchasascam(IRScallingtosayyouhavetosendmoney),arashofcrime(vehicleburglaries),orgeneralsafetyinfo.
Weknowwhatmakesanincidentnewsworthyinourarea.Thiscouldbebasedonsuspect'sorvic4m'soccupa4on,theloca4onofincident,the"strangeness"ofthecrime,natureofthecrime,arethereoutstandingsuspects?Wealsopostincidentsthatalignwithourcrime-figh4ngini4a4ves:Elderabuse,propertycrime,humantrafficking,etc.
PaOerncrimes,largepublicinterest,etc.Weassessonacase-by-casebasis.
OurCityManagerdoesnotlikearreststobepostedonsocialmedia.Hedoesn'twantthePDtohaveitsownFacebook.Wepostposi4veoremergencyinfoontheCity'sFacebook.ThePDonlypostitspressreleasesonourwebsite.
Importantinforma4on
Incidentsregardingfelonycrimes,trafficalerts,andcommunityoutreachstories
Ifitdirectlybenefitsthesafetyofthepublicisourmaincriteria.
Serousincidentthatcouldleadtoanewsstory,eitherprintorother
Anyinforma4onorstorythattheSherifforhistwoPIOsfeelisofinteresttothepublic.
notablearrestsandincidents;roadclosures;communityevents;officerinterac4onswithpublic
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Significantarrests,majorcrashes,missing/endangeredpersons,solici4ng4psonunsolvedcases,naturalormanmadedisasters/emergencies,notabledepartmentalorindividualemployeeaccomplishments,etc.
Crimesthatinvolvevideoofcriminals
News.Arrestsetc.
Public’srighttoknow
Anythingofpublicinterestispostedtoourwebsite.
Anydangertothepublicsuchaslocalcrimes,scamsetc."Goodnews"storiesaswellascommunityeventsanddailysafety4psbaseduponthe4meofyear;i.e.:Halloween,Winterweather.
Posi4vestory
immediatedanger,requestforinfo
SeverityorPublicaOen4ontothecrime/incident
Needtocommunicateinanexpedientfashionwiththepublic;rumorcontrol,dangertopublic
Arrestsofinterest,PUBLICsafetyorscamissues
Violentcrimesagainstpersons,trends,crimeswithdescrip4veinforma4ononsuspects/vehicles,requests
Publicsafetyconcerns
worthiness public'sinterest informa4on
Ourpressreleasesareautoma4callypostedtosocialmedia.Otherwise,wewouldonlypostincident-basedinforma4onoutsideapressreleaseifthereisanongoingincidentthatcouldbedangeroustothepublicand/oropenlyviewablebythepublic.
nospecificcriteria
dependingonthecrimeandifIstartgeRngcallsfrommedia
Wedonothaveasocialmediaaccount
Wedon'tpostcrimerelatedinfodaily,mostoNenwhenpoliceneedhelpiden4fyingasuspect.Rightnow,thePIOistheonlyoneauthorizedtopostontosocialmedia.Thatwillbechanginginthenextfewmonthsallowingofficersandsupervisorstopost.Theguidelinewillbeanythingofinteresttothepublic,crimepreven4on4ps,on-goingincidentswheretheremaybeadangertothepublic.
Homicide,trafficfatality,missing/endangeredperson,crimespreeortrend,hazardousdrivingcondi4ons,orotherincidentsthatgarnermuchmediaaOen4on
PublicSafety,Traffic,CrimeStopperspos4ngs,
Seriousnessofcrimeandanydangertothepublic'ssafety.
Ifamediareleaseispublished,Iwillu4lizesocialmedia.Roadclosures,inclementweather,etc.
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Someonehasbeeninvolvedinanincidentresul4nginsevereinjuryordeathorsuspectatlargeandseekinginforma4onfromthepublic.
ThePatrolLt.ortheCriminalInves4ga4onsDivisionwantsomethingreleased,theycontactme.
None.
AnythingIreleasetothemediaIalsopostonsocialmedia.
Breakingnews,somethingunusual,orsomethingthatputstheagencyinaposi4velight.
Allpressreleasesarepostedtosocialmedia
Significantevents,mediacontact.
Majorfelonycrimeinvolvinginjury/death;cri4calincidentthatpoten4allyaffectsthesafetyofacommunity.
Theimportanceofthecommunityknowingtheinforma4on,assis4nglawenforcementinves4gateacrimeorincident,andconnec4ngwithourcommunitytoremindthemthatwe'rehumanandmorethanjustabadge,uniformandgun
Anythingbreakingthatdirectlyaffectsthepublic(i.e.trafficclosures),goodpolice/inves4gatorywork,highprofilecrimes(felonies,crimesofviolence),anythingrelatedtoapubliceduca4onini4a4ve(ex.autotheNsinthewinter,duetocarsleNrunningandunaOended),anythingthecommunitymayfindinteres4ng
impacttocommunity
Confirmtheinfo(withaW/C)inthepostisaccuratebeforepos4ng
MajorCrimes,SuspectsatLarge,Missing/EndangeredPersons,HighPriorityCases,etc.
anythingthatmayhaveadirecteffectonthepublic
Majorcrimes,trafficalerts,missingchildren/adults,everydayengagementwithourfollowers.
Incidentsofheightenedinterestoruniqueness
Majorcrimes,public/mediainterest,posi4veinforma4onregardingtheagency/employees.
Impactonpublic
Majorunsolvedcrimes,goodarrests,newini4a4ves,officercommenda4ons,incidents/storiesthatputtheagencyinagoodlightorhaveahighhumaninterestcomponent.
Weknowthepublicwehaveastronginterestinhearingaboutcrisissitua4ons,andsitua4onsthatdealwithhomicide,armedrobbery,etc.
Basedonmydiscre4onorarequestfromadetec4ve
Anythingfromnewstofeatures.
Nosetcriteria
Anythingthatisofimportancetothepublic;wouldcausetrafficconcerns;wouldgeneratemediaaOen4on;isathreattopublicsafety.
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Affectstotrafficflow/roadclosures,concernsforpublicsafety,needingpublic'sassistance,weatherconcerns,humaninterest,communityrela4ons/marke4ng,
Informa4onispassedthroughtoourheadquarters.Theymakethedecision.
seriousness
publicsafety,calendarevents
OurFBistypicallyfor"goodnewsstories",trafficalerts,missingpersons,orincidentupdates.TwiOerisusedfortrafficalertsandreal4meupdatesonac4veincidents.OccasionallyIwillpostapressreleaseonbothifappropriate.
Majoreventoranythingthatmayimpacttraffic
Dangerstothepublicorsuspectarrests.
Ifweareaskingforthepublic'shelptoiden4fyasuspectorsuspectvehiclecapturedonsurveillancecamera.
Arrests&communityevents,mostly
FederalLegalRequirements
Publicsafetyconcernsorendangerment,helpiniden4fyingsuspects,roadclosures,evacua4ons,etc.
Typeofevent.Scopeoftheevent.Timeofday.
Anythingthatisnewsworthyoracommunityawarenessissue
Ci4zensafety,dispellingrumors
Notpossibleinasimpleanswerbox,butimmediacyisdeterminedbywhetherwearelookingforasuspect,roadsareclosed,orasitua4onisoccurringinaverypublicloca4on.Otherwisewepostinforma4ononincidentsorarreststhathavealesspressingnatureastheinves4ga4ontakesitscourse,usuallywithinthefirsthourorso.
safetyissues,publicinterest,majorcases,publicno4fica4on
PublicSafetythreatisaprimarycriteria.SecondarycriteriaisanyreleasethatisprovidedtothemediaisgenerallypostedonofficialagencyFBpage.
Whateverwedeemappropriate.
Onmajorincidentsandeventsofcommunityinterestorconcern
Roadclosures,highprofilearrest,fastmovingeventthathastriggeredaOen4on.
nosetcriteriabuttypicallyifwethinkit'sinforma4onthepublicwants/needs
Somethinginteres4ng;acourtcasethatavarietyofmediaoutletsarefollowing.
Urgencytotheneedsoftheagencyand/orthepublic,suchasmissingpersons,etc.
Felonycasesordeadlytrafficcrash
Thecommunityimpactbytheincident.
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PublicSafety,PublicInterest,SignificantIncident,RoadClosures,SpecialInstruc4ons,Loca4onofmissingperson,witnesses,evidence,etc...
Emergencyinforma4on,threattopublic,publicsafety.Incidentsinremoteareasofthestateareslowertobepostedonsocialmedia,butassoonasthePIOlearnstheinfo,itcangoonsocialmedia.
Wehavenosocialmediapresence
Allnewsreleasesareposted.
AllofourcontentmustbeveOedbyoursoleclientpriortopos4ng.Thereisasignificantlag4mebecauseofthis.
Publicconcernandsafety.
Current,newsworthy,ci4zensafety
Aseriouspartoneoffenseorothercrime/incidentthatdirectlyaffectsthepublicorthatwearereceivingmanyinquiriesabout.
Changesbasedonthesitua4on.
Thenatureoftheincident,anypossible"hold-back"orconcernsaboutreleasinginforma4onabouttheinves4ga4on,andwhatthecurrent'state'ofsocialmediais.
Armedsuspectinanarea,missingperson,dangerouscondi4onssuchastrafficorweather
Threattopublicsafety,Theneedtogetinforma4onout,toreducetheriskofrumorsormissinforma4on
SUSPECTIMAGE,LOSTORMISSINGPERSONS,CRIMESPREE,PUBLICSAFETYANNOUNCEMENTS
Dangeroussitua4onsandsuspectarrests.
SeverityorDegreeofthecrime
Anythingthatwefeelisnewsworthydependingontheday.
Lookingforsuspects,drugarrests,majorcollisions,
dependsonthenatureoftheincidentorevent
Asdeterminedbymeandoursocialmediateam.Thevalueoftheinforma4ontothepublic.
roadclosings
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Ques4on39HowhasthenatureofyourmediaquerieschangedsinceyoustartedpuRnginforma4onoutonsocialmedia?Pleasespecify.
Hasremainedthesameorincreased.
Yes...theofficersthinktheyneedtoposteverythingwhichcanbeaproblemiftheydon'ttellthePIO
morespecificinforma4on
Mediasome4mescallswan4ngmoreinforma4onforastorywe'vepostedonsocialmedia
Wegetmoretoaskmorespecificsonwhatwewerelimitedto140characters
Ouragencyisnewtosocialmedia.Ithasn'treducedmostofthetradi4onalmediacontactsasofthis4me.
Privateci4zensoNenno4fythemediathroughsocialmediawebsitesofincidentsthatareoccurring,orhavejustoccurred.IoNengetmediainquiriesabouteventsIhaven'tyetevenbeentoldaboutbymyagency.
Mediawouldtohaveinforma4oninamore4melymanner,whichsome4mesisunrealis4c.
Morepeopleareconcernedabouthowthedepartmentisbeingmanagedandhowpersonnelaredoing.
Ithasincreasedthenumberofcontactsdrama4cally.Theyseethestoryonsocialmediaandcontactmeforfurtherinforma4on.
It'sprimaryanecdotally,butsincewestartedpos4ngonsocialmedia(primarilyFBandTwiOer),therehasbeenabitlesscontactfrommedia.However,what'sinteres4ngisthatIwillpostsomethingonFBthatIdidn'tnecessarilydeemworthyofanewsrelease,andthemediapickitupanduseaccordingly.Example:Wehadalargehorsegetstuckinthepond.ThiswasaLARGEhorse,andourdepu4esandfirefighterswereonscenegeRngthehorseout.Adeputysentmeafewphotos,andIplacedthemonFBwithcutlineinfo,butdidnotsendanewsrelease.NextthingIknow,IseeitonTVandevengetacallfromahorsemagazineinthenortheast(remember,weareinLouisiana)askingtointerviewthedeputy.Allgoodstuff.Similarthingregardingthe4meourdepu4esremovedanalligatorfromawoman'sresidence.
Some4mesthenewsrooms/reportersdidnotknowaboutanincidentun4lIposteditonsocialmedia.ANerit'sposted,theywillaskmeforchargingdocuments.
Wegetalotmoreposi4venewscoverageandspendless4meansweringthesameques4onsrepeatedly.Wecandirectallmediatothesamesource.
Ithashelpedwithemergencyinforma4onposts
Morefrequent
Veryrarelygetcalledforaddi4onalinforma4on
Ithasincreasedourmediarequest.Ithasalsoincreasedoursocialmediafollowing.
Thereismuchmoreconversa4onandmuchlessfactfinding
Notmuchno4ceablechange.
morerequestsbasedoninforma4onthatisposted
Haschangedatall
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Decreasedthenumberofques4ons
Reportersuseasstoryideas
Idonotpostonsocialmediaotherthanourwebsite.
Bothmyposi4onasthePIOandthedept.’ssocialmediaaccountwerecreatedatthesame4me.
Lesscalls
aboutthesame
Increasedrequestforvisuals
Moreon-camerainterviews
JournalistshaveabeOerbasisinwhichtoasktheirques4ons.Wealsogetfewer"hey,gotanythinggoingontoday"ques4ons
notsure
Thebestsitua4onIcanpointtoisthatreporterstendtoobtaintheirnews4psfromsocialmediapos4ngs.WehavelocalresidentswhoformFacebookgroups,forexample,inwhichtheysimplypostthingsheardoverthescannerorsaythey"saw4policecarsheadingnorthon__Street...anyoneknowwhat'sgoingon?"Reportersseethesepostsandittriggersacalltome.
nochange
mediaalwayswantsmoreinforma4onandcallsforitaNersendingoutapressreleaseviasocialmedia
N/A
Notmuchyet.I'mguessingwhenwehaveotherofficerspos4ng,thequerieswillincrease.
Ifsomethingisvery4mesensi4ve,ItellmediatowatchourTwiOer/Facebookforupdatesratherthanwai4ngonnewsreleaseswhichtakelongertoprepareandsend.
None
Theywantmoredetails.
Weonlybeganusingsocialmedia3weeksago
Thereismore"justseekingclarifica4on"inquiriesthanlengthyrequests.
Itseemseasierforthemediatomonitorwhatisputout.Iftheyseesomethingthatisinteres4ng,theycontactus.
N/A
Some4mesthemediatakeswhatweputonsocialmediaandmakesitastoryline.
Nochange,s4llcall.
TheyhavejustcalledmoreoNen
WegetcontactedtoprovideoncameraappearanceorradiointerviewsprobablymoreoNen.
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Socialmediahasacceleratedthemediainquiryprocess.
Ontheonehand,itcutsdownonthenumberofinquiriesini4allybecauseweputoutinforma4onimmediatelytoeveryone,butontheotherhand,theys4llhavefollowupqueries.
WhateverIputoutonoursocialmediaoutletstypicallypromptsarequestforanoncamerafromthelocaltelevisionsta4ons.ONen,localmediawillcoverinforma4onthatIputout,withoutevercontac4ngme,justbasedonthecontentofourblog.
demandforquickerresponseregardingdetails
Mostdirectcontactistoaskforaquoteabouttheincident
Usuallygeneratesmoreinquiries.Theyseethepostthencallwithques4ons.
unknown
Sincewe'vestartedusingsocialmedia,phonecallsfromthemediaonminorevents(exampletrafficcrashes)aredownbecausebasicinforma4ontheyarelookingforisalreadyonsocialmedia.
VeryliOleoverall
Moreinquiriesregardingposi4vestories
AnecdotallyIthinktherehaslikelybeenanincreaseinmediaresponseandanincreaseinmediamonitoringofoursocialmedia
N?A
Reducedbecausetheygetalotofinfobasedonthepost
LiOlehaschanged.
Justreques4ngaddi4onalinforma4onusually
Werarelyhearfromreportersunlessit'sabigbreakingnewsstorywithacrimescene;otherwise,theyjustusethephotosandvideoswepostonoursocialmedia.
ONensocialmediapos4ngsresultinmoreinterestinmedia.Some4mestheyjustshareourinforma4on,other4mes,itcatchestheireyeanditbecomesastory.
Unknown
Requestshaveincreased
Itisagoodwaytostreamlineinfogoingoutsothatincomingcallsarereduced.TwiOerespeciallyhasbeenhelpfultoletreportersknowIamenroutetoasceneortoalerttotrafficissuessuchasroadclosures.
Therehasbeenanincrease....especiallywhensomethingofinterestisposted.
Morenonreporterscallingwithques4ons
Morerequestsforfollow-upinforma4on.
Iusuallysendanewsreleaseoutatthesame4measpos4ngtosocialmediaunlessit'satrafficaccidentwherewewanttoletpeopleknowabouttrafficproblemsbutdon'thavealltheaccidentreportinforma4onyet.
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Notmuch
Moreinquiresviasocialmediasitesandviaemail.
Moreinforma4ontoinquireaboutorfollowupwithstoriesandinterviews.Morerequestfromthepublicseekingaddi4onalinforma4onandpublicsafetyadvice.
Weareabletosharemoreinforma4onthatwouldnothaveotherwisebeensharedintradi4onalmedia.Tradi4onalmediamonitorsourSMaccountsandbuildsstoriesfromthem.Wehavebecomemoreproac4ve.
Increasedduetothefactlocalnewshasincreaseddrama4cally.Localeveningnewstendstobeatleast2-3hourswithteasersandmediaisconstantlycallingforstories
Idon'tbelieveithaschanged.Inaddi4ontopos4ngtosocialmedia,weprovideaddi4onalinforma4onincludingincidentreports/arrestaffidavitsandvideolinkstothemediaviaanemailblasttoourmedialist,sotheyhaveeverythingtheyshouldneedwithoutasking.
OnceIputsomethingnewsworthyonoursocialmediaaccounts,Icanexpectacallwithinafewminutes.Mostreporterswatchourfeedsandrespondimmediatelytothemwithoutbeingassignedthestoryfromtheiroffice
Moreinquiriesdirectlyfromthepublic.Alsoreporterscontac4ngwithlimitedinforma4onbasedonrumor,conjectureorpercep4onofwhatsomeoneelsesawonFacebook.
Aboutthesame,theyjustseekmoredetails.
Ithasincreasedsignificantly
Querieshavechangedbutnotbasedonoursocialmediapos4ngsbutother"groups"onsocialmediathatdon'ttypicallygettheinforma4oncorrectbutnewsmediausethesegroupsas"4psters"
mediascansoursocialmediaaccountsforpoten4alstoriesthencontactsus
Ithasn'tchangedmuch.
Itreallyhasnotchangedmuch.Reporterss4llwantaddi4onalinforma4on,andaskques4onsthatarenotansweredinthemediarelease.
Generallyalwaysgetaddi4onalques4ons.Believeachecktoseeifweincludedallinforma4on.Themediahastoaskatleastoneques4on!
None,themedias4llprefersthepersonalcontact.
Wehavemoreposi4vestoriesgeneratedfromsocialmediapos4ngs.
Tweetsbothincreaseanddecreasethenumberofcontacts.AtweetwilloNencauseanimmediaterushofdirectphonecalls.Butmany4mes,tweetsingeneraldecreasethenumberofcallsover4measouragencyprovidesmoreinforma4onviasocialmedia.
Nosocialmediapresence
Socialmediapostshavespurredsomestoryinterest.
Askingforclarifica4onand/ormoreinfooftheincidentorevent.
Manyareguidedbyourtweetsandposts.Wecreatethestoryinalotofcases.
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MajoreventscansparkNa4onalaOen4on.
Moreinquiriesbasedontheinforma4onalreadybeighuthere.
Theyarelessfrequentandthosequeriesnotaskingformoreinforma4on,aregenerallyaskingforenhancedsocialmediapla|orms(e.g.touseanInstagram,SoundCloud,etc.)
UsuallygetarequestadayaNerthepostismadeforinterviews
Quicklygetsinforma4ontomedia.Responsefromthemediaislargelyposi4ve
WITHINMINUTESOFCERTAINPOSTS,MEDIAOUTLETSCALLFORMOREINFORMATIONORON-CANERAINTERVIEWS
Mediarequestsincludemorein-depthfollow-upinforma4on.
Donotknow
Lotsofinforma4onflowoutresul4nginincreasedinquiriesincoming.
Mediawatchessocialmediaandthencontactsusforfurtherinforma4onifneeded
Lessenedthenumberofreporterswhoaskfortheinforma4on.Thetrafficdistancelimitsthosewhoaskforoncamerasoundbites
Theygettheini4alheadsuponasitua4onwe'reworkingbutitdoesn'tslowdownthenumberoffollowupinquiriestodeterminevic4minforma4onsuspectinforma4onetc.
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