I'm very pleased that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has recognized KCPD for our use of social media. We are the featured agency on their page right now, http://www.iacpsocialmedia.org/. IACP lauded us for using different social media platforms for different purposes. This was very intentional.
It all started here on this blog, which we use as a way to really tell our story without the filter of the media. I can tell you about heroic officers, crime trends, success stories and our view of local events and news stories. Next came Twitter, which we use to get short and timely news and information alerts out. Then was our YouTube channel, which we have used for everything from seeking suspects in surveillance videos to public service announcements to scary moments caught on dashcams to some just plain fun stuff. The latest edition was the KCPD Facebook page last fall. It's a fan page where you get to hear all the good news about the department and see the fun and positive things we do in the community. Once in a while you'll see the same message on these different platforms, but for the most part, they each serve their own purpose, and we appreciate the IACP recognizing that as a solid approach.
The point of all our social media has been and always will be to better connect with the people we serve. We hope it's a way to make police more approachable and accessible and to keep you informed of what's going on in your community. If you're not a friend or a follower, please become one! You'll learn a lot about your police department, and we hope it helps us learn more about you.
Send comments to kcpdchiefblog@kcpd.org.
