Kids are our future, and things that were unheard of a short time ago, like police sanctioned graffiti art, BMX parks for kids and social media is here to stay, whether we like it or not. Many adults, many corporations and many government agencies get very scared at two words these days “Social Media”.
Here is a perspective on social media that hopefully will overcome some of those fears for you. Simply put, this article is about
success and safety.
I have been a police officer for 21 years, and deal first hand with some of the most difficult situations on a regular basis in my full
time job as a Social Media Officer for the Toronto Police Service and my volunteer portfolio as Social Media Advisor to the IT Committee of Crime Stoppers International.
We started using social media officially to reach out to the public to help achieve our mandate with Toronto Crime Stoppers to help stop, solve and prevent crime together in the early part of 2007. In two short years, the anonymous tips went from 300 per month to over 1000 tips per month.
Many people think that this success was because we started using social media. The reality is that we used a strategy of relationships and technology for success and safety. We concentrated on what we could do with very limited resources engaging youth and community partners doing traditional school presentations, and doing outreach work on themes of graffiti and community building and BMX bikes.
We celebrated the good work of youth who were interested in exciting endeavors like graffiti and BMX, two activities that for the most part in history have not been supported by the police or community organizations like Crime Stoppers.
The success was soon seen by many inside the Toronto Police Service, and due to the leadership of Deputy Chief Peter Sloly and Chief William Blair, and the dedicated watchful eye of social media, Internet law enforcement guru Lauri Stevens, the Toronto Police
Service adapted a social media communications policy which as resulted in 170 police officers trained in the use of social media by Sergeant Tim Burrows and Constable Warren Bulmer, along with assistance from Toronto Police Service Professional Standards and Corporate Communications staff led by Issues Manager Meaghan Gray.
A key point is that it is not just using social media that results in the success. The important aspect to keep in focus is that
relationships and trust is key to social media being used as a tool to effect your purpose for using social media in the first place.
I was asked to write this article by Lisa Thornbury after two young men who met me as a police officer on a Youtube channel dedicated to graffiti community building projects reached out to me for an opportunity. Kedre “Bubz” Browne and Jessey “Phade” Pacho or two of the most engaging and talented young me I have ever me, yet they didn’t thing too highly of the police, but they saw enough trust in social media postings to take a chance and reach out to a cop for an opportunity. This is SUCCESS. The safety part comes in the relationship that results, and is shared in social media on a regular basis by these individuals.
Long discussions about life between cops and kids.. that get discussed on Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Foursquare and Google Plus afterwards enhances that trust, and chronically educates how to contact a police officer directly or indirectly by submitting an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers by talking on the phone 1-800-222-8477, online .. see the list of programs here:
http://CSIWorld.org , by text message
http://SMSCrimeTips.com ,on the free Android phone Crime Stoppers app:
http://bit.ly/AndroidTipSubmit or iphone app:
http://bit.ly/TIPSubmitMOBILE or even on the “Leave A Tip” app
available for Facebook pages http://Facebook.comCSIWorld.
There are two links that I am especially proud of relating to the work
of Kedre and Jessey helping to raise awareness of people experiencing
homelessness. Please check out their work at the 140 Character
Conference, The State of Now by Jeff Pulver here:
https://www.facebook.com/GraffitiBMXCop?sk=app_113345305387225
and please check out their work in Toronto with Jody Steinhauer
http://ProjectWinterSurvival.org and Mark Horvath of
http://InvisiblePeople.tv here:
http://storify.com/graffitibmxcop/wearevisiblemural-unveiling-launch-of-projectwint
After you check all of this out, I would like to challenge you to think big about the use of relationships and technology with purpose
and process that will give payoff and potential to whatever you are doing in your life.
The work and power of one or two becomes infectious.. As I type this… I think of 8 other youth who are now connected in social media with me, but more importantly they are connected with themselves through skills development offered by The Cross Fit Graffiti Art Program funded by ProAction Cops and Kids in partnership with Well And Good and The Academy of Lions. I leave typing this post to advertise their graffiti art t-shirts that they created to people following me to buy as festive season gifts! .. so much better than playing cat and mouse between cops and graffiti vandals. We are now connected in life
through a positive relationship! .. and we have common goals of success and safety.
BIO: “Relationships And Technology” | Husband | Dad | Internet Violence Prevention | Youth-BMX Bikes-Positive Approach to Graffiti | Toronto Police Corporate Communications Social Media Cop | Crime Stoppers International Social Media Adviser | speak English/French passionate about success of our youth | gang prevention ONGIA.org / NoToGangs.org | Advocate of Open Data Initiatives, Social Media, Internet and Law Enforcement | Live Music Is Best!
Image credit: “PictureYouth”
