There is an important discussion picking up speed these days on how police departments should enter social media.  But before we think about how, let’s think about what, as in “what is this social media thing?”  Because to use it well you have to understand the culture and tone of social media dialogue.  Respecting this culture is critical to getting the most out of social media for your department, and so we begin with a discussion of what social media is, and what it isn’t.

According to KIROTV.com, four police officers in the small King County town of Pacific in Washington State were on patrol recently despite the mayor’s attempts to fire them. The mayor’s attempt to terminate the four officers’ employment was met with protests from local citizens who picketed outside city hall. Pacific Mayor Cy Sun would not even meet with the officers so they could appeal their firings.

According to a recent article in The Missourian newspaper, an investigation conducted by the Columbia Police Officers Association found that incidents of misconduct took place at its golf tournament held last June. The inquiry began after Columbia media received an unsigned letter claiming that female employees from Truman's Bar and Grill "were clothed in bikini bottoms only" during the CPOA event at A.L. Gustin Golf Course.

We were sitting back reading your most current edition of APB magazine and we read the article about the man who was arrested in Florida for DUI and later charged for possession of illegal wildlife (a monkey). We had a run in as well with a wild monkey during a roadcheck and we have the pics to prove it.

Seattle where the city has opened a 16-bed crisis center facility designed for adults experiencing a mental-health crisis, including those accused of minor crimes. The Crisis Diversion Center will give police and paramedics a place to bring people where they can connect with mental-health experts and Americans are nothing if not adaptable.

In Costa Mesa, California the police are getting a well-deserved raise. Actually it’s just some of the police officers—the reserves. According to a recent article in The Los Angeles Times, a massive $6 an hour raise proposed for Costa Mesa's police reserve officers has quickly turned into a controversy.

Why are firefighters in Oak Ridge Tennessee now able to issue $25 parking tickets in their capacity as designated "special police officers" under a resolution approved by local officials recently?
Seasoned observers say it’s probably because it’s easier to layoff public safety professionals if you can convince taxpayers that they’re all the same and that it’s cheaper to hire one guy that wears two hats than two guys with their own hats.

While there are plenty of stories about cops getting into hot water for the way they handle citizens recording them in the course of their duties, precious few agencies have an actual policy about how these incidents should be handled. In Washington D.C., the D.C. Metro Police have released their official policy on recording of members by the public(GO-OPS-304.19) The policy is being hailed as a national model- both by law enforcement leaders and organizations like the ACLU. If your agency is trying to craft a policy on dealing with members of the public who are trying to record officers in the course of their duties, the approach DC Metro has taken might be of some help. Click "read more," for the policy.

Timothy Nelson, a UC Davis student, was shot in the eye by a pepperball fired by a UC Davis officer’s gun, when UC Davis and City of Davis police attempted to clear an apartment complex of partying students in 2004.  The officers didn’t properly warn the students prior to shooting, nor did they explain to Nelson’s group how to exit the complex prior to the police use of force. 

Five Lafayette, Louisiana police officers are suing their superiors and asking for temporary restraining orders. The plaintiffs claim the LPD has a culture of corruption that has led to physical threats and racial discrimination. The lawsuit, filed in the 15th Judicial District Court, alleges the police department had a de facto policy of not creating written policies to avoid possible liabilies.