With the advent of social media, traditional crisis communication strategies have become suddenly obsolete. In just a few years, the control of the narrative in a crisis has switched from total reliance on first responders for updates that were relayed via the evening news to total assurance that someone will have a smartphone in hand to capture a critical photo or video, with or without context. The need to feed the public\u2019s appetite for information is more real than ever and so, too, is the need for agencies to capture control of the narrative early to ensure they have a pivotal voice in telling their communities the facts and rebutting fears and falsehoods.<\/p>\n
For too long, law enforcement agencies have fallen back on the decades-old practice of waiting until all information is in hand before updating the media and residents. This was a fairly concrete and foolproof way to cultivate a centricity of output for information prior to the mid-2000s. There was one source for confirmation\u2014the agency. \u201cJust the facts, ma\u2019am\u201d was prioritized above quotes from bystanders or culled tweets from social media for stories. Journalists often would wait or were required to wait to get information sourced directly from the agency prior to publication.<\/p>\n
In June 2007, the first iPhone was introduced; less than one year prior, Facebook had officially allowed anyone over the age of 13 with a valid email address to hold an account. Twitter began operating in March 2006, and, suddenly, the Internet and the connection provided by social media platforms allowed news to travel quickly, becoming a vital part of communication between people. This advent of broader news was not only extremely popular, but powerful, as evidenced by the role of social media in sharing and even playing a role in breaking news events, such as the revolution in Egypt in 2011.1<\/sup><\/p>\n With the changes in the way in which information is shared, the media cycle has had to evolve to meet this new flow of information and to stay relevant. Journalists no longer need to wait to hear from agencies to learn how situations have changed over time\u2014they can see it for themselves on their own phones, and they have quickly adapted.<\/p>\n Now, the news that is printed in newspapers or shown on television is often obsolete. Journalists\u2019 stories live\u00a0and thrive online, where updates are constant; where sources share new\u00a0information in a constant stream; and where, if law enforcement agencies are not careful, their voices can and do get lost because they either fall behind or fall back on the traditional \u201cwait and see\u201d methods of communication.<\/p>\n It must be understood that information can and does change. But, the perception of how willing an agency is to communicate information should not be in flux. To believe that news will wait because the agency is not ready to publicize it is a fallacy. News is instantaneous, and agencies should operate with the mentality that someone at the scene of a crime will always have the opportunity to beat agencies to their own stories by livestreaming or posting photos from within the crime scene tape.<\/p>\n While timely information dissemination is of utmost importance, having a consistent flow of information during an incident cannot be understated. Lack of information during a crisis can and does lead to rumors and false information.<\/p>\n Successful social media messaging is a two-sided coin. One side represents the ability to effectively use social media platforms to share factual information during a crisis. The other is the ability to effectively engage a community and develop trust and relationships online,\u00a0prior\u00a0to a crisis. If an agency is not effective in growing its digital community over time, it will not have much of a community to hear the agency\u2019s message when a crisis strikes. Worse yet, if a department crisis potentially represents a breach of community trust (e.g., an officer being arrested or a high-profile use-of-force incident), the agency will not have any credit built up in the bank of community trust from which to withdraw in order to avoid irreparable damage to community-police relations. These credits can be built only over time, through a long-term commitment to genuine interactions, transparency, and trust.<\/p>\n While the concept might sound daunting, in actuality, the road map to building a successful digital community is already inherent in law enforcement culture. Successful policing in the 21st century relies on forming partnerships with the community, being visible, and employing procedural justice in policing practices. These tenets also apply online.<\/p>\n The amount of time people spend online is only increasing. In 2018, Pew Research noted that 88 percent\u00a0of adults ages 18\u201329 used at least one social media site to interact and engage.2<\/sup> Those under the age of 65 were also prominent social media users of\u00a0at least one site, with the proportion hovering between 60 and nearly 80 percent. Those who\u00a0are often the hardest to reach, those over the age of 65, actually show the\u00a0fastest growth rate in adapting to social media, with nearly 40 percent of that age group using at least one social media site.<\/p>\n For those agencies on social media, the use of Facebook has been vital. It is by far the largest social platform in the world with more than 1 billion users worldwide, but as the company faces ongoing scandals involving privacy concerns and the spreading of false information, it has restricted people\u2019s ability to engage with Pages, a designation which all law enforcement entities are placed under when they create accounts on the platform.3<\/sup> The reasoning to the restriction\u2014to mitigate erroneous narratives\u2014has been somewhat masked by Facebook\u2019s position that it is encouraging a preference for \u201cperson-to-person\u201d interactions.<\/p>\n Twitter is a major platform for journalists to receive and disseminate information\u2014the company has stated about four out of five media representatives use the platform for information sharing.4<\/sup> While only roughly 24 percent of social media users prefer the platform, a staggering hundreds of millions of tweets are still sent per day, thus resulting in information getting lost in the shuffle.5<\/sup><\/p>\n Nextdoor is a more recent platform that offers what no other social media\u00a0site does\u2014it hyperlocalizes content to reach the people who live in the\u00a0area affected. With users in more than 200,000 neighborhoods across the United States, Nextdoor automatically opts users in to receive their local agency\u2019s information once they sign up for the platform, and the platform even has an \u201calert\u201d option that can be utilized in emergencies and crises.6<\/sup><\/p>\n While there is no clear top option or \u201cone-size-fits-all\u201d solution for social messaging, the more aware agencies are of where their community members like to engage, the more prepared law enforcement will be when a crisis hits and information needs to be disseminated quickly.<\/p>\n The importance of saying something, even when there is nothing new to report, cannot be overstated. When news breaks, a phenomenon known as the \u201cnewsjack\u201d\u00a0occurs. In this short\u00a0amount of time, total\u00a0control of the narrative can potentially belong to the agency. It is in these\u00a0few moments that an agency must showcase\u00a0its willingness to be open about a situation at hand.<\/p>\n The court of public opinion is relentlessly strong, and if an agency is not willing to share as much as possible as early as possible, the balance in the bank of community trust will deplete rapidly. After these first few moments, agencies will rarely again have the chance to be the first to share the news and the first to ensure that what is shared is accurate. Once anyone with a phone has access to an event, departments will be struggling to maintain control of what information is and isn\u2019t released. The perception versus the reality of the situation will be dictated by what is more enticing to see, and, if an organization can lead the way in information release\u2014the equivalent of digital crowd control\u2014agencies will see a noticeable appeasement in the rushed judgement by others, both online and in the community.<\/p>\n Holding statements serve two purposes: they keep curiosity and rumors at bay while simultaneously allowing investigators to pull together information for a more well-rounded and thorough release. But remember, consistency in holding statements is crucial. Interval messaging (a short statement every 15\u201320 minutes) will not only effectively control the narrative, it will also ensure that others who may otherwise turn to locals to try and glean understanding from a situation will instead be looking at and listening to the agency for updates.<\/p>\n Press conferences have come to be known by many as shooting galleries for the chief executive standing at the podium. They can be rowdy affairs that can devolve into incongruous questioning, which can then lead to frustration and result in misunderstandings. The danger of waiting to disseminate information until a press conference is the time it takes (generally two to three hours) to set one up. In the absence of consistent messaging during that time, rumors and misinformation can run rampant. If press conferences are a preferred approach, they must be paired with a constant flow of information already coming out of any agency via social channels. That way, the press conference is more of an opportunity for agencies to summarize information and provide sound bites for the media.<\/p>\n While press conferences serve their purpose in certain circumstances, a suggested (and often successful) alternative is one-on-one interviews, as demonstrated by the following example.<\/p>\n In April 2018, the Mountain View Police Department (California) found itself embroiled in what many believed to be a difficult incident involving a shooter who opened fire at the YouTube headquarters in the city of San Bruno, roughly 40 miles north of Silicon Valley. The Mountain View officers, just 12 hours before the tragedy occurred, had contacted the would-be shooter sleeping in her car, which had been reported missing as part of a missing person\u2019s case out of the San Diego area. Because the\u00a0woman\u2019s car had been flagged, officers proceeded to question her about her whereabouts and how she ultimately came to be in the area. Critical questions\u2014including repeated questions about her mental state\u2014were asked, but the contact was extremely low-key, and the woman was more than cooperative.<\/p>\n At the time of the shooting, body-worn camera footage of the original interaction with the woman had been reviewed and sent to San Bruno Police Department but was not available to the public. In the absence of the video, the media and public questioned the officers\u2019 encounter with the suspect and suggested the narrative that the YouTube shooting could have been prevented had officers intervened by searching the woman\u2019s car (illegally) or taking her weapons. When people began inquiring not only about the interaction, but also about the nature of police work, the legality of vehicle searches, and more, it became clear that the issues needed to be addressed both\u00a0with city residents and with the press.\u00a0However, so many theories by uninformed\u00a0people after the fact were leading to repeated questions, unnecessary assumptions, and a general breakdown in what was fact and what was fiction, including by those in the media.<\/p>\n To ensure that messaging points remained consistent, journalists were invited to conduct one-on-one interviews with the Mountain View chief of police. Not only did this provide a semblance of privacy and individualistic care to each media outlet, it ensured that the line of questioning was done in a space that was most comfortable for the department. It put\u00a0the chief in front of the camera to show a much larger audience the facts\u00a0of the case, as well as to refute those who had peddled a false narrative\u00a0based largely on opinion and little on the truth. It also sent a message internally that the leadership had support for patrol work and that the head of the department was more than willing to share that support publicly. Within a day, the news cycle had moved almost entirely away from the department after news agencies showcased the interview, which largely squashed the sensationalized speculation from\u00a0both people and media outlets.<\/p>\n One-on-one interviews, particularly in times of crises for agencies, not only provide a reprieve from the constant onslaught of repeated questions, but they also insulate the agency\u2019s extended exposure to those who are often ignorant of daily police work. One-on-one interviews hone an agency\u2019s response by providing a single space with a single point of contact, and, in the eyes of the community, taking the care needed to discuss a serious situation also bodes well for trust and transparency.<\/p>\n For example, in July 2018, Mountain View Police Department officers responded to reports of a possible theft in progress at a local grocery chain. The\u00a0alleged suspects, as described in a dispatch call, were minorities. While the officers quickly determined once they arrived that no crime had occurred, a week later, the family involved went to the press to report that the incident was one of racial profiling.<\/p>\n It is in instances like this one where careful consideration for those involved and how these cases play out in a larger narrative must be taken. Social media responses and any opportunities for interviews with media representatives should be carefully crafted.<\/p>\n Such incidents are extremely emotional moments, and that element should be a priority point in messaging. Business professional Danny Meyer, founder of the Shake Shack restaurant chain, stated \u201cIt\u2019s not about who\u2019s right or wrong. It\u2019s that the customer feels heard.\u201d7<\/sup> Replace the word \u201ccustomer\u201d with \u201cresident\u201d or \u201ccommunity.\u201d The people that officers care for every day are watching how an agency responds to internal and external trials.<\/p>\n Moments on camera are brief, at most. While those brief moments can play a role when the need is there, other times, statements of humanity and ones that come directly from an agency in writing versus through the news outlets speak volumes. They allow an agency to showcase just how personal it can be, and it gives a community, both digital and in-person, an opportunity\u00a0to not be distracted by the badge they see, instead focusing on the voice that speaks to them on the most basic of levels.<\/p>\n Effective crisis preparedness begins with the right mindset, and a willingness and commitment to change the areas of your business [organization] that do not coincide with this mindset.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u2013\u00a0Melissa Agnes, Crisis Ready<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Crises come at two points\u2014when they are least expected or at the worst possible times. In either case, preparation is ultimately what will make or break an agency\u2019s ability to effectively respond to the need for information and the expediency in which it is shared.<\/p>\n A crisis communications plan and tabletop exercises at least once a year are standard. But in these traditional methods of training, one change can monumentally increase effectiveness of a department\u2019s communication strategy. The public information officer (PIO) plays a critical role in the dissemination of information, particularly on an agency\u2019s social media channels. Therefore, rather than have the information filter down through the agency hierarchy, give the PIO a seat at the table. Allow these communication professionals to listen and participate in the decision-making process. This ensures that all information that is released is cleared across the board, and it also provides an opportunity to contain information that is not yet releasable. Best practices should ensure a public agency is not only the first to the narrative, but also that it\u2019s always correct in what it releases. There is no room for error.<\/p>\n Defaulting to traditional methods of information simply because \u201cwhat you know\u201d feels safer than the reality of just how fast news spreads is becoming increasingly detrimental to police agencies. The delays allow others to move in and shift the narrative away from the primary source\u2014the traditionalism allows only for a fueling of rumors and misconceptions or misunderstandings.<\/p>\n Agencies need to take a proactive stance in sharing information and keeping people updated on what can and cannot be released. For example, when Southwest Flight 1380 experienced engine failure in April 2018, which resulted in the company\u2019s first fatality in its 50 plus\u2013year history, the airline did not hesitate to speak out.8<\/sup> Less than 24 hours after the incident, the two pilots of the plane issued statements that were shared across the airline\u2019s social media channels.9<\/sup> While\u00a0the company could do little in terms of talking about the actual ongoing\u00a0investigation, they instead went to the heart of the matter. They spoke to the emotions of the crew, passengers, and public in a time when, in truth, that was all most wanted to hear.<\/p>\n This is not the first time Southwest deferred to others to let them share their messaging strategy. Everyday customers interact with a host of Southwest social media managers.10<\/sup> The humanization of an airline not only encourages a feeling of comradery\u00a0between passengers and an organization, it also empowers the customers\u00a0to persuade others to fly the same\u00a0airline. The client creates a community, which, in turn, creates a support system. Sounds familiar, doesn\u2019t it? Similarly, if an agency engages at this level with their residents, it too will see that everyday interactions will build support for critical moments when the community is watching, knowing the agency is there to respond.<\/p>\n The changing tide of information sharing and the ever-increasing rise in the use of social media across the world has heightened the velocity of information gathering and dispersal. It should be clear that this is not a trend; this is the new normal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nCadence<\/span><\/h2>\n
Platforms<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Understanding how the community prefers to receive information is a vital component to ensure not only that a social media strategy is relevant, but also that the information is actually being read and shared. While some platforms are content-limited due to their preference for video or pictures (e.g., Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube), other platforms do promote a visual as well as informational component that marry the options for agencies to both show and tell the story.<\/p>\nFacebook<\/span><\/h3>\n
Twitter<\/span><\/h3>\n
Nextdoor<\/span><\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nHolding Statements<\/span><\/h2>\n
The Case for\u00a0One-on-One Interviews<\/span><\/h2>\n
When Cameras\u00a0Aren\u2019t the Answer<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Facetime in front of a camera can and does often resolve much of the speculation and sensationalism around brewing controversies and crises involving law enforcement agencies. However, there are rare times when stepping in front of a lens may prove detrimental to the agency and its narrative. This negative effect could be for a variety of reasons, but primarily, it can often revolve around the fact that other agencies are involved and that, while law enforcement were involved, they were secondary players in the incident.<\/p>\nCrisis Communication Planning<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Many will understand the need for time to investigate, but more immediately, they want to know the measure of humanity an agency can and will display in times of crisis. To speak in such raw terms may be daunting, but it is absolutely rewarding.<\/p>\nIn Review<\/span><\/h2>\n