8 Ways Police Departments Can Leverage Social Media to Improve Communications

Law enforcement agencies rely heavily on social media platforms for their public messaging.

Building trust with the general public is important for government agencies, and it is no easy task. Public information officers (PIOs) need to stay vigilant and ahead of the curve when it comes to social media use.

Operating procedures in all areas of government require a significant amount of time and resources.

In an age where social media comments are edited and deleted in an instant, it can be difficult to monitor the flow of information. One approach to monitoring social media accounts and keeping accurate records is to manually take screenshots of the content. While the ability to screenshot information can be handy in a pinch, it doesn't suffice when it comes to the comprehensive capture and retention of your social media data.

Some of the most fundamental qualities of effective government are transparency and trust. You’ve undoubtedly worked hard to create engaging comms and programs to serve the public and engage them in dialogue, all with the goal of building trust.

Did you know that there are more than 73 million websites built with a content management system (CMS)? Your government entity’s website presence is part of that number, but held to different standards as compared to a cooking blog, for example.

How devastating can misinformation on social media be? According to a growing number of local governments, the answer is “very damaging indeed”. So much so that San Diego County declared health misinformation a public health crisis on August 31, 2021, a move that was soon followed by Jefferson County (WA), Clark County (NV) and Contra Costa County (CA) – and the list of counties joining them continues to grow.

The need for clear communication at all levels of government has never been greater. Governmental bodies must ensure transparency, trust and professionalism with their colleagues and, more importantly, with the public. Getting this right isn’t just a case of better public relations—it is a matter of compliance.

Almost every day after a European football match, there’s another media headline highlighting a player who received racial abuse on social media. Football clubs condemn it. The content gets reported to social media platforms. Accounts are deleted. Authorities are notified and declare a ‘zero tolerance’ policy against discrimination and prejudiced behavior. Many players share the posts, highlighting the racism they continually face.

2020 has undoubtedly been a tough year, with government social media use having higher stakes than ever before. Yet, despite all the challenges, most government organizations continue to do great work on social media—leveraging social platforms to not only provide crucial information and help citizens deal with current issues, but also shine a spotlight on actions and events that are worthy of celebration.