Using social media to communicate with communities in fun and creative ways
by Robin Kinderman
Oftentimes police officers can seem untouchable and intimidating, even to members of the community who whole-heartedly support them.
People who want to support their local PD are always asking what they can do beyond events like “coffee and a cop” and “National Night Out.” In recent years, police departments have made efforts to seem more “human” by participating in events like the “Lip Sync Challenge” — but it doesn’t take a team of theatrically talented cops and a film crew to connect with the public.
Social media has made connecting easier than ever before, but the trick is transparency. Just having a Facebook page or Twitter account doesn’t cut it — you have to check in frequently, and engage with the public in a friendly, fun manner.
Here are some tidbits taken from police departments in the Fox Valley of eastern Wisconsin:
Recognize your followers
The Grand Chute Police Department calls their followers “Facebook Faithful,” and the Appleton PD calls theirs “Facebook Force.” This tells their page followers that their presence is noticed and their involvement in the page is valued.
Be Consistent
Both of the above-mentioned departments post online at least every other day (sometimes multiple times a day), and the topic isn’t always about safety or news – sometimes it’s just to say “hi”:
Grand Chute Police Department
Page Liked September 26
Another day, another opportunity to make a difference.
Have a great day Facebook Faithful!
The Grand Chute department gets the attention of teenagers by posting in their stereotypical language:
DEAR TEENAGE DRIVERS,
Being a teenager is stressful enough. Like, how many times can you hit snooze and still make it to class on time? Do you need to shower today? Should you cram 3 pop-tarts into the toaster?
Will Becky reject your Prom-posal? (early we know, but you have to plan ahead for these things).
Don’t add any undo stress to your lives, don’t speed. Did you know, speeding increases your chances of being pulled over by nearly 100%. Be smart, do your part and drive the speed limit.
P.S. If you have to ask, you should probably shower…
Get creative
Safety is always a department’s first priority, but it doesn’t have to be dry and boring. If you want to get the community’s attention, you have to spice it up a little bit. The Oshkosh Police Department does this by posting funny memes every night with the hashtag #9pmroutine, encouraging people to lock their vehicles and doors:
And the Appleton PD uses a figurine of one of their officers to bring attention to safety issues around the town:
Appleton Police Department
September 25 at 6:30 AM
Millie was checking out the enhanced crosswalk at Richmond and Winnebago.
The four new enhanced pedestrian crossings have been up for a while now throughout the city. Additional enforcement will take place over the next few weeks to ensure we get our kids to school safe and allow traffic to still run smoothly.
Fun Collectables
In recent years, police departments have made a huge effort to interact with citizens outside of emergencies and arrests; they know that if they want citizens to see past the perpetual negative media rhetoric, they must get the public to understand that they too are human.
The Appleton PD is doing this by giving each officer a “baseball” card – the card has their picture, name, rank, date of hire, and a fun fact about them. Citizens are encouraged to collect all the cards, which means approaching an officer and asking for one.
In addition to this, the department teamed up with a local automotive dealership to create “community outreach” vehicles, which will showcase their social media platforms in the back window with the cheeky message “Do you get nervous when we follow you? Follow us back!
Poke fun at yourself
Cops and donuts have gone together since…..well, forever. While this has often been the subject of crude jokes, the Grand Chute PD has embraced it; they call them “power rings” and often write posts highlighting their dependence on them, like this one:
Grand Chute Police Department
Dear Office “Prankster”,
Not cool. Sincerely, The Dunkin’ Deprived Officers of the GCPD
And last but not least…
Have fun!
Being an officer is a serious job, and we’re not saying that tongue-in-cheek. Every day, our men and women in blue go into work not knowing what the day is going to bring. Citizens often see cops as serious and uptight; this is most likely due to the requirement to be acutely aware of their surroundings, be in a constant state of preparedness, remembering statutes and protocols for dealing with every situation imaginable, and so on and so forth. But in the end, we all (citizens and officers) need to remember that we’re all human, and the best way to show this is to have a little spontaneous fun once in a while, like this:
Grand Chute Police Department
August 15 ·
Dear Potential Criminals,
In honor of #NationalRelaxationDay, we invite you to take a day off from committing crimes.
Enjoy the weather, read a book, or Netflix and chill, we don’t care just R-E-L-A-X and refrain from committing any crime.
Sincerely,
Law Enforcement
As you can see, there are many ways law enforcement can use social media to their advantage. In this digital age of transparency, it’s pretty much required, and with today’s technology, the possibilities are endless. All you need is a little bit of creativity, humor, and humbleness. Stay safe, and God bless.
