Late last year, I was relaxing at home during an evening away from work. My four year old son was in bed asleep (allegedly). My wife was seated at the kitchen table with her eyes glued to her Mac laptop browsing Apple watches for which she has developed an obsession. She’s steadfast in her belief that if one is the proud owner of anything Mac, it’s God’s will that they also purchase and proudly sport an Apple watch. Me? I was on my phone browsing Facebook. Should cops even participate on Facebook or any social media for that matter? Hopefully, this article will help resolve that dilemma.
A discouraging, setback-filled, past several months for law enforcement has ignited a firestorm of controversy the likes of which we haven’t experienced in this profession in decades. The subsequent civil unrest after the August 2014 strong armed robbery and fatal, officer-involved shooting in a gritty midwestern city, caused us – sometimes in haste – to rethink, retrain, re-equip and rebuild. Agencies who had been casually considering equipping themselves with body worn cameras (BWC’s) now rushed to author (or at least plagiarize) BWC policies and go live with the devices. After all, public outcry for their implementation was growing stronger by the day. Enhanced sensitivity training was offered up by some departments as their remedy to growing community distrust of police. Still others removed their old community-based policing playbooks from the shelf and blew the dust off them. They vowed to spend less time in their patrol vehicles and more time interacting with their community members – cue the smartphone camera for another impromptu street dance contest between a uniformed officer and a group of middle schoolers.
Something disturbing manifested itself from the chaos of Ferguson, Baltimore and sadly, many other jurisdictions. Something that had never really happened before. Something that shouldn’t have happened this time, yet did. Local law enforcement agencies became so frustrated and dejected by the growing public sentiment against them, that they actually became frightened. Frightened enough to be less proactive. Frightened at times to utilize necessary force -which in at least one terrifying instance, nearly cost an officer his life. Some simply became frightened to perform the basic duties of the job for fear of being overly scrutinized by the media, or face a “gotcha” moment due to the new BWC clunking about on their uniform shirt lapel. A number of veteran officers left the business. Still others, who were considering a career in law enforcement, decided they didn’t need “this” and chose to pursue alternative career options.
With fear and frustration comes a natural need to decompress. Finding healthy, appropriate ways to blow off steam during extremely challenging times is necessary and certainly encouraged. The key, of course, is doing so in a positive way that doesn’t reflect poorly on an officer, his department or peers. Not surprisingly, many of us choose to express our viewpoints, positive reflections as well as occasional frustrations via the fastest, most efficient way currently known to mankind – social media. And why not? It’s easy, makes us feel better and it’s harmless, isn’t it? In truth, social networking can be a valuable asset. But it can also land us in more trouble faster than nearly any other way. When you’re facing questions from your superiors asking you to explain why you felt the need to post something that’s distasteful or worse yet, something that’s possibly against policy, your rationale will likely prove too little too late.
Fortunately, most police social media reflects honorably on our profession. Sometimes these contributions are lighthearted and quite clever. Others are artfully produced videos or commentaries honoring fallen officers. Amazing acts of kindness, such as stories of cops paying to save Christmas for a family which has fallen on hard times, is just one example of posts that can be understandably popular. Unfortunately, not all comments are as appropriate.
“Hey, I like this one and it’s only $399.00 !” my wife excitedly exclaimed from the other room – her voice just loud enough to get my attention yet not wake up our son. Apparently, the Apple Corporation was inching closer to another watch sale. “Maybe Santa will bring it for you,” I replied, believing for a few seconds that I had cleverly appeased her. Suddenly, I realized that “Santa time” wasn’t far in the future!
I continued scrolling down my Facebook news feed. I came across a recently posted picture which I had seen online several times before. It was a twenty-something male, modeling a t-shirt with a caption reading, “Police Officer, my job is to save your ass, not kiss it.” In the middle of the shirt was the image of a generic police badge with no department designation.
Why did this shirt leave a different taste in my mouth this time than it had in the past? After all, I’d seen and even laughed at the “ass kissing” slogan at least the past thousand times I’d seen it. After some reflection, I realized the reason for suddenly finding it distasteful was the fact that it had been a particularly brutal past few months with many officers losing their lives. Almost all the law enforcement related Facebook posts, pictures and videos I had viewed recently had been wonderful tributes to those fallen and our profession. They were comforting, and reaffirmed what law enforcement can be all about when we use common sense and basic fundamentals in the use of social media. I guess this time, this not-so-clever shirt made me wonder what conclusions the general public draw when they see law enforcement-related drivel like the caption on this shirt.
It’s easy to forget that our social media contributions aren’t only seen by others in law enforcement or our closest friends and families. In reality, they are potentially read and shared by everyone, which means thousands of people other than those we intend when we hit “post”. Not only are they read, they’re INTERPRETED by everyone as well. Imagine a civilian who routinely visits social media. She’s supportive of law enforcement and has remained so even during these unprecedented times. Then, out of the blue, she views the aforementioned shirt or some similar rhetoric. Will this suddenly transform her in to an anti-police crusader marching with a megaphone? No. But there’s every chance her support of law enforcement will be a bit more tenuous. Remember, it only takes one such social media outburst to do real damage. What often seems funny or clever to us in the police world, can be viewed differently by a civilian whose opinion of us can change instantly. All because of negative social media rants that we often create and share!
There’s a currently popular rant that’s going to be poison to our relationship with the public if we don’t get a handle on it soon. This is the misinformed, broad brush bashing of all adherents of the Islamic faith. These social media posts are becoming more popular and more shared by the day it seems. This is a prime example of the need to remain professional and publicly neutral on an issue because we are law enforcement. Nothing gets us hot under the collar faster in this profession than someone bashing all of us for the mistakes of a few bad apples. This same concept must apply when it comes to Muslims or to any group. Human beings tend to tear down or even destroy what we don’t have a firm, intellectual grasp of. Unfortunately, this is precisely what’s happening to the public and law enforcement alike. Nearly every day, I read something contributed or shared by a fellow LEO that is completely inappropriate when it comes to this particular topic. Often, I hear the argument that police officers deserve the same right to freedom of speech that the general public enjoys. That is absolutely true. We have a right to say nearly anything we want. Just remember that FREEDOM of speech doesn’t absolve us from CONSEQUENCES as a result of our speech!
“Mommy isn’t sure she wants to wait until Christmas for this one,” my wife shot back with a laugh. “Hey, I work full time, keep the house spotless, cook our meals and take great care of our son. Don’t I DESERVE a nice watch? Aren’t I worth $399.00?” Another chuckle. Two seconds later, my iPhone dinged with a long distance text photo, sent all the way from the kitchen, of the watch she’s in love with. I was losing ground quickly!
There are undeniable similarities between law enforcement’s involvement with social media and its relationship with the news media. Both can be a strong advocate and ally. Conversely, both can be our strongest critic, ruin careers and the reputation of a department. However, with social media, especially our personal, off-duty use of it, WE get to decide how law enforcement is viewed and how we’re perceived as professionals by keeping our association with it well-meaning and positive. Our goal should be to have our profession held in a regard as high as that of our military. Some argue that we shouldn’t be seeking praise. That is absolutely wrong! Of course, if we are seeking it merely for an ego feed, that is fundamentally flawed thinking. But well deserved praise, accepted with modestly, means we are making a difference. Praise means that people have confidence in our ability and are thankful for what we do. Praise means that our presence and actions truly matter and provides us positive reinforcement to continue with our mission. Praise helps us realize that while these are indeed challenging times for our profession, the challenges aren’t insurmountable. Social media is both an important tool and a vital dynamic in all of this.
Here are 3 social media suggestions and guidelines to help keep us on track:
- Remember, social media is a great place to be advocates and good ambassadors of our profession. It isn’t the place to constantly rant about politics or make belittling remarks regarding the public we serve.
- Stay completely clear of posting comments regarding race, religion, sexual orientation etc.
- So much of social media’s content is simply copied from someone else. Be original! Contribute mostly your own thoughts, knowledge or tastefully humorous material. This will help to ensure that what you’re posting is appropriate as it causes you to think through what you are contributing to social media before you actually post it.
Now does someone have $399.00 I can borrow?
M. Andrew Grimes began his law enforcement career many years ago in beautiful Napa Valley, California. He is a veteran police officer, author and freelance writer now based in Indiana. His law enforcement experience has included Field Training Officer, background investigations, academy instructor and evaluator. He is the author of two non police related books available on Amazon Kindle. He can be reached at [email protected]