Much has changed about public engagement for public safety agencies since the days when officers were encouraged not to interact with the people on their beats and not to get too attached to any one community or neighborhood.
Today, departments around the country are successfully engaging with the public outside of strictly law enforcement activities to build mutual trust, relationships and connections. Some departments have gotten particularly creative in their public engagement work, making officers a presence in communities beyond walking the beat, while giving members of the public unique opportunities to be heard. Agencies are also using wireless communications technology to keep in constant contact.
By building dialogues online and in person, here are some examples of public safety agencies that are making public engagement a two-way street.
A Force to be Reckoned With
The suburb of Hawthorne, Calif., is only a few miles but a world away from the practice facility for the Los Angeles Kings professional hockey team. Several years ago, officers with the Community Affairs unit of the Hawthorne Police Department noticed that none of the local kids played ice hockey because of the expense of the equipment and the lack of coaches.
So officers applied for a “Goals and Dreams” grant from the National Hockey League Players Association and launched what is now the “Hawthorne Force” Ice Hockey program. Officers and community members volunteer as coaches, and kids of all ages learn to play hockey while adhering to a code of conduct.
Transforming School Safety with Two-Way Radios
One of the main reasons that Fremont School District 79 in suburban Chicago switched from cell phones to two-way radios to transform school safety was the ability to immediately contact public safety agencies.
With the advanced telephone interconnect app from Teldio, two-way radio users can receive and make phone calls directly on their MOTOTRBO digital radios, including to 9-1-1. School district representatives say the connection is particularly important for teachers and staff who monitor playgrounds and sports activities and don’t have access to a landline in the building during an emergency.
On the Air
The Fayetteville Police Department in North Carolina is using a different kind of radio communication to connect with the communities it serves.
The agency has a weekly time slot with local radio shows that lets law enforcement leaders discuss the department’s activities. Leaders say it’s an effective way to speak directly to the public in a consistent cadence, not just when something goes wrong. And they say it gives members of the public a voice in engaging with law enforcement.
Social in Seattle
The Seattle Police Department is successfully using social media to engage with its uber-connected residents. On Twitter, for example, police send frequent updates about all kinds of law enforcement and public safety activity, from traffic accidents to missing persons’ reports.
Their 341,000 followers, in turn, retweet or favorite information, which quickly amplifies messages and spreads the word about emergencies.
