ConnectedCOPS Social Media Event Management

This award is given to the law enforcement agency anywhere in the world who has used social media to manage and/or influence a public safety/emergency event, whether unforeseen or known. This agency has strategically and successfully implemented social media engagement techniques to positively and effectively communicate public safety information in an urgent or emergency situation.

The finalists in the Social Media in Event Management category have done extraordinary work managing emergency events. The judges were very impressed with the quality of nominations in this category.

There are two finalists in this category:

Calgary Police, Canada
When the greatest disaster in the city’s history hit Calgary, the media went quiet and so did City websites and social media accounts. That’s when the Calgary Police Service stepped up. In an attempt to communicate during the crisis, CPS put out numerous updates on Twitter and Facebook, as well as responding to many of the over 22,000 mentions between June 20–24. When a City of Calgary website housing evacuation maps went dark, CPS took those same maps and posted them on their Flickr account, answering the questions of many confused Calgarians. On the Service’s official YouTube account, an hour-long video from their HAWCS helicopter showing the devastation of the flood was posted which quickly garnered 77,000 views. The Digital Communications Team, who run the Service’s social media accounts, also acted quickly to produce daily video updates to keep the Service’s members informed. Throughout the emergency, the Calgary Police Service social media accounts became the most trusted source for important information.

Boston Police, United States
The Boston Police Department made headlines around the world after the marathon bombings with their use of Twitter to keep the public informed of what was happening during the search for the suspects. When CNN and other major news outlets reported inaccurate information, they were quick to correct and kept an anxious public as calm as possible as a result. Their use of Twitter during the several days after the marathon garnered them over 300,000 followers making them the third most follow law enforcement agency in the world on Twitter.

Finalists in the other awards categories will be announced throughout this week on this blog. Check back to see the finalists for Civilian Award of Excellence tomorrow. Winners will be announced September 25th at The SMILE Conference™ in Omaha, Nebraska.

Finalists previously announced:

The ConnectedCOPS Awards were created by LAwS Communications with the intent of recognizing the good work being done by individual officers and law enforcement agencies with social media. The international law enforcement community will be considered for these awards. Any officer or agency anywhere in the world is eligible.