Katie Nelson is the Social Media & Public Relations Coordinator of the City of Mountain View Police Department.  The Mountain View Police Department is a leader in the social media space for law enforcement using a scientific approach to how they execute their digital communications.  Combining pop culture, analytical insights and listening to their audience has made them tuned into how to most effectively share their public safety messaging. You can find Mountain View Police on most social media platforms where they provide individualized messaging that fits both the platform and the audience for a deep ability to be effective.  Katie is always willing to share her expertise and experience.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/katienelson210/ Here are a few of the Mountain View Police social channels.  https://www.facebook.com/mountainviewpolicedepartment/ https://twitter.com/MountainViewPD https://www.instagram.com/mountainviewpd/ Also in this episode, I open by sharing the Smart Squad App that has been created by Faction Four System Inc. This platform and its technology adaptation for police is a game changer for any police department that is looking to manage resources more effectively with increased efficiency.  The Lethbridge Police Department is one of the agencies using the Smart Squad App and you can see how they are using it and what their officers think about it in this video that was produced by the LPS.  https://youtu.be/PZO-dD2VFdI To learn more about the Smart Squad App and how it can help your agency, visit their website here: http://smartsquadapp.com/ They can also be found on social media: https://www.facebook.com/smartsquadapp/ https://twitter.com/SmartSquadApp https://www.facebook.com/LethbridgePoliceService You can find the Lethbridge Police via their website and naturally social media: https://www.lethbridgepolice.ca https://twitter.com/lethpolice Huge and special thanks to the "OKAYestCop" who pointed out the video and the Smart Squad App to me. https://twitter.com/okayestcop Note - Me talking about the Smart Squad App is not a paid endorsement... just me sharing a really great resource. 

Chase Daniels is the Assistant Executive Director of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office working under the leadership of Sheriff Chris Nocco.  Chase's portfolio includes communications, social media and legislative affairs...and a few 'other things."  You may recognize the Pasco County Sheriff's Office for their work with the #9PMRoutine and the #LivePD broadcasts, but what you might not recognize is the excellent social media strategy that has positioned the Pasco County Sheriff's Office to be one of the best social media programs representing law enforcement.  Chase is quick to point out that while he plays a part in it, the greatness of the social media presence begins with Sheriff Nocco and spans to include a team of dedicated personnel that believes in being transparent, open and connected to their community.  You can connect with the Pasco County Sheriff's Office here: Website - https://pascosheriff.com/ Twitter - https://twitter.com/pascosheriff Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pascosheriff YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/pascosheriff How would like to get your hands on one of the #9PMRoutine T-Shirts? Just visit http://www.pascosheriffcharities.org/store/ to support the Pasco County Sheriff's Charity and grab a great T.   

Today I'm joined by my good friend, Chief Billy Grogan of the Dunwoody Police Department in Georgia. Chief Grogan is talking leadership and how he is giving back to the future leaders of law enforcement with his new venture, "Top Cop Leadership". Chief Grogan shares what it takes in the current day of policing what it takes to be a top cop and how he can help you get there with his view from a man that has risen to the top level of policing serving not only as a chief but every rank needed to get there including his time as the President of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police.  You can find more information about Top Cop Leadership at  http://billyjgrogan.com/ and on social at Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TopCopLeadership/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/TopCopLeader   In other notes: Ep 93 recap - To donate to Casie Shimanski's fundraising effort for children's cancer research via the St. Baldrick's Foundation go to: https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/getmarriedgobald Ep 96 recap - To get Melissa's book, "Crisis Ready", you can click this link to purchase at Amazon: CRISIS READY

Keynote speaker, crisis communications strategist and soon to be best selling author Melissa Agnes talks about how to become Crisis Ready so that the issues you face don't become a crisis. Get her new book, CRISIS READY by clicking here. As a strategic advisor and keynote speaker, Melissa Agnes has worked with NATO, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense, financial firms, technology companies, healthcare organizations, cities and municipalities, law enforcement agencies, global non-profits, and many others, helping them understand risk and build invincible brands that can withstand even the most devastating of events. In 2015, she gave a TEDx talk in Los Angeles where she discussed the secret to successful crisis management in the 21st century. Agnes is the editor of the Crisis Ready Blog, a contributor to Forbes, and a go-to source for the press, with recent coverage including the Wall Street Journal, VIBE Magazine, USA Today, and many others. As a university guest lecturer, Agnes teaches crisis management in university courses around the world, including at NYU and McGill. You can follow Melissa on most social media @Melissa_Agnes Learn more about Melissa through her website,  https://melissaagnes.com/

Neil Dewson-Smyth is a police officer in the UK who has been in uniform operations for 26 years. In the first 7 years he covered all aspects of day to day policing. He then progressed to traffic operations for 7 years as a class 1 advanced driver dealing with all road traffic accidents and numerous fatal road traffic accident investigations.  On transfer to Cheshire he spent 12 months in the custody investigation team before promotion to Sgt, then spent 7 years as custody sergeant with compliance to PACE 1984 and the Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Custody (SDHP) guidelines. Detainee risk assessment specialist and understanding of high risk medical issues relevant to custody. Intoximeter EC/IR specialist and trainer. He is now a Force Incident Sgt in the force control room. His role requires oversight of the whole force, overseeing all emergency and priority incidents and matching resources to demand while maintaining officer safety and public confidence. He is also the Social media advisor and engagement lead to Cheshire Constabulary but also nationally and internationally with other forces and police agencies. Helping officers, leaders and staff; remove barriers to effective use, maximize their potential to reach out to and build relationships with their communities digitally through varied media applications and platforms.  Neil has a strong passion for the dangers of distracted driving with particular emphasis on the use of mobile phones. He is the creator of the internationally recognized #DontStreamAndDrive campaign and continually campaigning to raise awareness of the dangers. Neil was the International “Connected Cops” Social Media Leadership Award winner 2016 and was shortlisted as Best Tweeting Sgt in 2017 UK Police Twitter Awards. You can find Neil online under the ID @SgtTCS.

In this episode of The Police Podcast, Tamrin Olden and Mike Bires from The Law Enforcement dot Social Podcast joined in for a special  crossover episode.  The three of us discussed what we see happening in the area of law enforcement and public safety social media use giving our own predictions / keys to success for 2018. Tamrin and Mike's five predictions of success for the coming year are: Study your analytics Focus on personal engagement Create organic engagement Invest in your presence Create professional content   My five predictions for creating your best success possibilities in 2018 are... Strategic Use of Social Media  Personal Engagement and ROI Live Video- periscope, Facebook live, Instagram live.  Invest in technology. Tools, technology, training, and resources. Professional Content What was fascinating about doing this show is we didn't share what our ideas were prior to hitting record... we took turns sharing our thoughts only to see that we had lots of overlap and complimentary points.  I'm thankful to Mike and Tamrin for doing most of the heavy lifting on these show notes. ​Facebook announced how the algorithm would be stifling to getting your posts circulated.  Facebook is going to take priority away from pages and give it back to people who contribute to Facebook engagement.  This Facebook strategy won't be entirely possible because they have a fiduciary responsibility to make money for their stakeholders.  Pages on Facebook are going to have to rely on their engagement with their audience and followers.  Pages are not going anywhere, but your profile will be critical.  Pages and profiles will only see gain success by having fun while portraying your message with fantastic engagement.  Agencies need to invest in technology and not rely on their officers to use personal equipment.  You have to have professional quality images, graphics, and videos.  The excuse of, "I'll just use what I have" is no longer a valid outlook if you want to succeed in the social media world.  People want to see authenticity in your posts.  You want to create content that is going to make people "stop the scroll."  When going live focus on providing content that helps the department gain the interest of its followers and get the focus off of you.  FAQ's, utility videos, how to's, and behind the scene live videos are what are going to grab the attention of your audience.  If you are getting a frequently asked question, go to a live outlet and answer it in depth.  Production videos are useful to post too, but the engagement from live videos with your viewers is where you're going to get the most feedback.  The polished behind the podium is not relatable, and people are going to keep scrolling.  Have organic engagement where you are not fishing for viewers.  Two-way conversations with your residence are essential.  Listen to your audience with question and answer sessions. What they want to learn about are the topics that should have precedence.  Offline customer service can increase your online customer service and engagement. Invest in both.  Don't let your obsession with online social currency take away from interpersonal interaction.  Set the tone for your fans.  Return on investment and social return on investment. If an agency isn't measuring what they are getting back, there is no need for pointless posts.  The tool of social media needs is a serious factor in reaching out to the community and making the connection with the people.  Study the ROI and see what happens. Look at the analytics and become familiar with what type of content people like.  Stay on top of your app updates, solicit expertise, study analytics, read articles and take seminars to stay informed on how social media is changing and how to properly utilize it.  Adjust the content and style of posts. What worked last week, may not work next month.  Tim had to learn to be critical of silly posts and had a realization that the unprofessional content he was seeing from officers, wasn't 'humanizing the badge,' but making a mockery of it.  Be aware of spikes in your followers. Check the analytics of who your audience is to determine whether or not they are quality followers in your community.  Public perception needs consideration.  When posting a dance, challenge or fun video; make sure that there is a purpose and a message conveyed.  Take the time to write down your goals, objectives, and putting a strategy to the purpose and the use.  Communicate to your community and internal audience. Explain your strategy, why you're doing it, how you're going to execute it and work with purpose and intent.  Explore how you're going to reach specific groups and your local community. Make sure you are communicating a positive image. Not only for the police department but the city and the workers. Portray that you care about the town and are going to make it safe and fun for people to live, work and play in.  Be transparent.  Social media and PIO work can put your agency in a positive light and change the reputation of the department.  Socia media is a multi-faceted outlet.  You must implement all of these factors to reach a successful platform.  Be sure and follow the gang from The Law Enforcement dot Social Podcast... on Instagram and Facebook @lawenforcement.social and their personal accounts, @isocialcop, @idigitalcop, and @tamrinolden.    

Anthony Rodriguez is the Social Media Manager for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in south Florida. Anthony tells the story about their social media platforms being taken over by an 8 year old girl that had been dead for 30 years and how this girl brought her cold case back to life.  This is a chilling and powerful use of social media in a case that was specifically chosen that had all the right ingredients to make it a viable case to profile. Here is a Storify that chronicles the take over and case of Christy Lina.  https://storify.com/TimBurrows1266/justice4luna Plus Anthony shares his marketing strategy to get over 600 new followers on the PBSO's Facebook Page in just a few hours, 100% organically.  You can find the PBSO at: https://twitter.com/PBCountySheriff https://www.facebook.com/palmbeachcountysheriff https://www.instagram.com/pbcountysheriff https://www.youtube.com/user/PBCountySheriff Website: http://www.pbso.org/  

Casie (pronounced KC) Shimanski and I met a couple of years at an event in Florida and have stayed in touch online since. We've crossed paths in Florida many times missing each other by a few hours here and there or realizing after, "Hey, you were there?" In December last year we actually came face to face at Social Fresh that was held at Full Sail University. Casie is part of the Cisco Systems family working with the team dedicated to telling Cisco’s employees story through social media, specifically, Instagram, Twitter and  . Casie comes from a family of police and has first responder blood also having ties to the fire department as well. Like anyone with that kind of bloodline, you know giving and caring are two traits that come naturally to her. Her Dad was with the Port Authority PD for NY/NJ for 21 years.  He worked the '93 WTC Bombing & lost many friends in 9/11 as well.  He has been a "founding" member of Team Live Out Loud (dedicated to Casie’s sister, Kellie's Memory). He’s gone bald for St. Baldricks’s many times and this year will be an extra special year as Casie is going bald for St. Baldrick’s as well…. And this is a great story. Casie is getting married on March 22, 2018 and just two days later she is shaving her head for St. Baldrick’s! Now that’s commitment to a cause and you’ll understand that more when you listen to Casie tell the story how here involvement on a personal level came to be. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation doesn't just look to help any cancer...it is targeting child cancer. Kids that get cancer aren't contracting lifestyle cancer...they are just getting a raw deal on life and could use research dollars and money to help fund treatments specific to their unique needs.  Every day 43 children will be diagnosed with cancer and 1 in 5 will not win the battle. Please consider donating to Casie. Her direct link for her fundraising efforts is: https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/getmarriedgobald This is a great video on Children's Cancer and the hardcore mission of St Baldrick's http://youtu.be/oBMd_CKEyIY Please reach out to Casie and say, “Hi” and wish her the best for her upcoming wedding and her efforts to help out the fight against childhood cancer.  Tweet or Instagram Casie at @TheNameIsCasie. Twitter Instagram Oh and in case you missed it... OPEN YOUR WALLET AND GIVE GENEROUSLY OR AT LEAST SHARE THIS EPISODE Give here: https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/getmarriedgobald

This is a long episode coming in at 2 hours. A couple of highlights... 41 minutes I gave a list of successful black people: police officers, politicians, business, entertainers. According to Desmond, not one is successful based on merit, skills or abilities.  62 minutes The School Resource Officer Program   One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Benjamin Franklin…. “Love your enemies for they will tell you your faults.”  Prior to Franklin saying that, Antisthenes said, Pay attention to your enemies for they are the first to discover your mistakes. And I’m sure he got that from Socrates who said every man needs a faithful friend and a butter enemy. One to advise and the other to make him look about him. Today’s guest to many in the policing environment in Canada and certainly Toronto is viewed as the enemy. Challenging the norms, shaking up the status quo and forcing police and government to look at how things are done.  Many will question his motives and many more will refuse to listen to him at all but you can’t ignore what he has done. In 2015 he penned an incredibly passionate article that allowed readers an insight into the perspective of a man that has been treated differently his whole life because of the colour of his skin. He can be credited with not just changing how the Toronto Police conducted street checks or ‘carding’, but how the he got the Province of Ontario to change the practice for all police officers. Was it a system that needed to be fixed? Yes… did anyone expect the results that happened? Probably not. But then when you don’t listen to your critics, and worse, you don’t raise a strong voice to offset what is being said… then you’ll lose every time. The new target of the man…the Toronto Police Service School Resource Officer program. The program that has proven to be incredibly valuable to all youth. But as you hear Demond Cole talk, you’ll soon notice that he has no interest in the positive outcomes and the positive influences that police officers play. He focuses on nothing but the negative… just a few negatives, which are almost completely anecdotal. He easily asserts that he can’t be questioned because these are his experiences but disregards the experiences of others. Desmond represents his views through his lens and believes anyone that has success didn’t create their own path using merit and hard work, the likes of Oprah, Lincoln Alexander, Mark Saunders, Peter Sloly, Keith Forde or even President Obama… the got to their positions by other means. I learned some things from listening to Desmond speak. I made notes of things I want to research further. He gave me food for thought a couple of times… but he refused to see any other point. I shared knowledge from a perspective he doesn’t know. My perspective as a police officer, coming from a single parent home, lower socioeconomic background and yet, he had no interest in hearing the ‘other side.’ We agreed that this is a much bigger problem than he or I, the police or the SRO program. It’s a historical problem of underfunding, a lack of resources and a lack of commitment to fix problems. You will notice, that while some people change, adapt and evolve with the times, learn from their mistakes and become better… others refuse to do so and therefore will continue to be bitter and combative about any possible better future.

Everyone in the Orlando area remembers vividly the events that happened in the early morning hours of June 12th, 2016. At 2:02 am, The Pulse Nightclub Shooting began and over the next couple of days the reality of one of the worst shootings in the history of the United States took place. But, for the Orlando Police Department Public Relations Office, June 10th and 11th were very busy days that prepared them for what was about to take the worlds attention. Wanda Miglio and Michelle hold down those responsibilities in a truly team approach to keeping the public informed through the Orlando Police Social Media channels and the main-stream media. The end of Operation Safe Streets took place on June 10th, the culmination of a month long project to help make Orlando safer removing crime guns and offenders from the streets. Later that night, the murder of Christina Grimmie, an up and coming YouTube star who was performing at the Plaza Live Theater, took place. Due to her rising fame and recent success on The Voice the national media ascended on Orlando to cover the story. June 11th, the team made sure that the information about Christina Grimmie went out throughout the day. Add into the mix a couple of full SWAT callouts, they department and the PIOs were kept busy. And then… The Pulse Shooting took place. Wanda and Michelle quickly went into action determining the priorities that had to be identified to effectively do their job. Listen as they share the events from their perspective.  You can follow OPD on social media: Twitter.com/OrlandoPolice Facebook.com/orlandopolicedepartment YouTube.com/opdpio Orlando Police Online: http://www.cityoforlando.net/police/ Radio Traffic Audio Complied from City Of Orlando http://www.cityoforlando.net/cityclerk/pulse-tragedy-public-records/