The state of news affairs has dramatically shifted over the past decade with the proliferation of social media. Communities are more connected than ever before through the plethora of online news blogs, tweets, social media posts, and the 24-hour news cycle that constantly broadcasts information to the public. This is not to say that the thirst for instant awareness of what’s going on in the world around us is entirely negative. However, police executives must harness the power of traditional and social media platforms to tell the profession’s story and stay in front of news-related incidents that can descend upon an organization.

It is critical for every law enforcement organization to have a well-planned, strategic communication plan coupled with an established, written media relations policy. This will allow employees to understand the significance of good public relations as it relates to reporting on police events and activities. A robust strategic communication plan also assists with promoting positive community relations, generates greater public support for budgetary requests and initiatives, and builds legitimacy with news organizations on how agencies will respond during times of crisis and controversy.

Society doesn’t have to look very hard before finding some type of law enforcement story that paints a negative picture of the profession. A simple search on the web can literally return hundreds of negative stories about the men and women in blue. Through the advent of technology, citizens are their own reporters by using smartphones than can record video, take pictures, and broadcast instantly from anywhere in the world. How can the profession influence community members in a positive manner and sway public opinion to see the great deeds that the vast majority of law enforcement officers perform each and every day? This article examines the elements of a strategic communication plan and how to handle a use-of-force encounter that draws nationwide attention.

It comes down to having a solid communication plan to deal with stories when an organization is thrust into a situation that generates public questions. The need for a plan can be seen when a police agency is experiencing intense media and public scrutiny following a use-of-force incident and the situation is exacerbated by a lack of detailed community messaging. Many organizations are relatively small, lack fundamental training in dealing with large-scale crises, and rarely have a dedicated spokesperson to handle media inquiries. Nonetheless, even if an organization fits that criteria, executives can still be prepared and ready to execute a written plan when and if they are thrust into the spotlight.

The framework of a strategic communication plan is built upon a simple premise. The executive team identifies goals for what they want to accomplish in the areas of community relationships, media influence, handling critical incidents, dealing with misinformation, and evaluating the effectiveness of the plan. The second step is to break up an organization’s communications into internal and external platforms.

Internal corporate communication is just as essential as external communication. It affords an opportunity to relay information to both sworn staff and professional personnel through a variety of methods, including but not limited to email, weekly newsletters from the chief executive officer, blogs, department memorandums and meetings, employee forums, and other communication methods that seek to keep employees engaged and informed.

After internal communication is delineated, the planning process moves forward to identify external stakeholders and ways to reach all audiences. Stakeholders include neighborhood residents, business owners, social service organizations, faith-based communities, associations, and news media, just to name a few. The goal is to identify key messages that the strategic communication plan will attempt to build and reinforce upon with all stakeholders through various communication channels.

An example of a few platforms utilized in Arlington, Texas, include a monthly digital newsletter, the department’s website, social media, citizen surveys, posters, community meetings, youth mentoring and initiatives, and news releases. Regardless of the platform used, the underlying goal is to communicate effectively to the intended audience and measure the success of those attempts through citizen engagement and feedback from the community.

The most important element of a strategic communication plan is a method for dealing with times of controversy. Controversy can arise from multiple types of events, such as an officer-involved shooting, an officer misconduct investigation, a large-scale crime spree, an active shooter incident, or a natural disaster. The written plan should specify what approaches to take, along with which communication channels will be used to communicate what’s going on and how the agency is responding to the situation. The goals in any event are to restore order, to reinforce confidence in the organization to handle the incident or event, and to regain public trust from all segments of the community.

Corporate Communication Priorities

There are two communications elements that every police executive should maintain. First and foremost are relationships—relationships with the community, relationships with key stakeholder groups, and relationships with the media. There is no time to be making introductions with reporters during an ongoing incident. By having a good rapport with local media before an incident occurs, the organization is in a much better position when it comes to cataloging the storyboard on what really happened, based upon the mutual trust that is already established.

Second, every agency needs a public information officer (PIO) or, at a minimum, someone who is specifically trained and positioned to tend to the duties of police-press relations. This can be an ancillary duty if one belongs to a small agency that cannot devote a dedicated spokesperson to serve the media. By having a specified individual assigned as a PIO, an agency can rely on this person to advocate on behalf of the chief executive to maintain positive relationships with media, something that is necessary to succeed when facing criticism from outside media circles.

The person who handles media inquiries should have close access to the top of the organization, preferably as a direct report to the chief executive officer. This allows the individual to be well versed in the what is going on at the department, as well as understanding the position statements on multiple issues. The PIOs are extensions of a police chief or sheriff; therefore, they need to have continual communication on what’s going on within the organization and understand the strategies in dealing with critical incidents.

There is ample formalized training to get a PIO up to speed and proficient. Also organizations and networking opportunities exist for PIOs to become more skilled in their craft while seeking guidance from other colleagues in similar positions. The International Association of Chiefs of Police – Public Information Officers Section is a great avenue for discussing ideas and strategies with some very experienced PIOs. Multiple workshops are held at annual and mid-year conferences on emerging issues in the PIO world.

Use-of-Force Incident Response

An officer-involved shooting is a prime example of an event that might be deemed controversial by some segments of the community. Gone are the days of offering “no comment” or being scrupulously slow in the release of vetted facts. The appetite for information within the first few hours of a critical use-of-force incident is enormous. False narratives can develop quickly when an agency is silent or slow to release basic details regarding what happened. Successfully navigating a use-of-force encounter when the incident and the agency are placed on the world stage requires a methodical approach of time-tested truths on telling the story of what exactly happened.

Before a reader dismisses this assertion that publicly vetted facts are often not available for days after an incident, one must look at where law enforcement has been as a profession. There are multiple incidents where erroneous information was broadcast by so-called “eyewitnesses” because the police remained silent and did not offer any counter-narratives that were grounded in facts. This can be disastrous for not only the organization and agency head, but for the entire profession, as legitimacy can be eroded quickly following a use-of-force debate. A key truth to remember is that if an agency is not talking about the incident, the media will interview anyone else to get a story out.

 Once an agency has been thrust into a position to respond to media on a use-of-force incident, it is advisable to break the response and information sharing into four phases. An initial response phase, intermediate phase, extended phase, and recovery and demobilization phase will keep the organization grounded on the sequencing of release of information during an incident.

The initial response phase is very basic and involves determining what happened, what is being done, how the community is affected, how long the situation will last, and how the organization will restore order to the community. Early in the incident, the health and safety impact on community members should be of primary concern. Typically, the media is on scene quickly during a use-of-force encounter where deadly force was used. It’s important to obtain vetted facts that can answer a few underlying questions related to the timeline, type of call or incident, and identifying three key messages that the PIO or chief executive wants to resonate with the community.

The intermediate phase involves media monitoring, implementing a formal communication plan, and broadening out vetted facts that answer questions raised by the community. There are times, especially when dealing with social media, that an agency may have to address erroneous information and rumors that are not consistent with the set of facts that the organization knows to be true. There is too much risk in today’s society to allow rampant misinformation to circulate about a use-of-force encounter on social media. It’s imperative that someone is assigned to monitor social media and confront and address issues as they arise.

The extended phase is typically an operational period beyond 12 hours when an organization may be in a situation where daily situational reports or media briefings are warranted. It all depends on the level of questions being raised by the community coupled with the intensity of the media attention. If national or international media begins to trickle in, ensure that the organization is taking care of local reporters first so that those relationships stay intact. Remember that once the media attention levels out, the national press will end up leaving and the locals will be around and will remember how they were treated during the incident.

The recovery and demobilization phase of media responses involves preparing a final news conference, if warranted, and bringing closure to the community. This phase will involve multiple stakeholders and segments of the organization. It affords an opportunity to circle back around with the local media to critique and evaluate the organization’s release of facts during the incident. This phase could take place days or even weeks after the initial incident.

As one can see, times have changed the way law enforcement deals with the public and news media. A strong communication plan, combined with a presence on social media, can elevate an organization’s success and influence when dealing with a critical incident. A sample strategic communication plan, written media relations policy, and critical incident checklist containing all the phases mentioned above in greater detail are available by contacting the author (Christopher.Cook@ArlingtonTX.Gov).