Passing the shadowy dumpster behind the police department, the officer spotted eyes, glassy and unresponsive, staring back at him. Intrigued, he reached into the dark receptacle and grasped at the lifeless body. In those few seconds, a legend was born.
Okay, maybe not a legend, but certainly an interesting mascot. Sargent Tim Cotton of the Bangor, Maine Police Department has a lot of reason to be thankful for the stuffed duck he found. It was a preserved wood duck thrown out by the local district attorney, and when he began the Bangor PD’s Facebook page a few years later, the duck became the star of the show.
Dubbed the “Duck of Justice,” Cotton used the creature to introduce the world to the members of the police department that protects Bangor’s approximately 33,000 citizens. The public responded in a way many did not expect.
Today, the Facebook page has nearly 86,000 fans from around the world. These readers follow the daily posts that include Cotton’s unique brand of sarcastic, small-town humor. The attention has even led to a recent Washington Post article.
The good press is needed, because after many contentious cases around the country, including incidents like the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014 and the more recent controversy surrounding the death of Laquan McDonald in Chicago, police departments of all sizes are under heavy scrutiny.
To combat the negative images of cops seemingly gone rogue, it has become a necessity for law enforcement officials to do what is necessary to reassure the public and regain their trust. Humor may not work in every circumstance, but social media pages allow these departments to develop a personal connection with the public that may not have been possible any other way.
Dallas Police Media Relations Officer, Senior Cpl. Monica Cordova, is another example of this modern trend. As media spokesperson for her department and a 2015 Friends of the Dallas Police Officer of the Year award recipient, she maintains 24-hour contact with the media. Her work allows people more insight into the department than just the facts of current cases.
As an advocate for the LGBT community, she has been a prominent spokesperson, fighting for benefits for same-sex couples from the Dallas Police and Fire Pension Fund. It is a subject close to her heart as she and her partner, the parents of two, waited for their own marriage to finally become legal thanks to the Supreme Court’s ruling on the Marriage Equality Act. By sharing her own personal struggles in this very public forum through her media work, Cordova has helped to remove the barrier that once separated the police from the public.
More than just providing humorous stories or fun photos, this is what social media has helped to accomplish. It has taken a group of people that for decades have been seen as a uniform and a badge, and humanized them. The public is allowed a glimpse into their lives, and in return is able to assist with their jobs.
These social medias sites, now being utilized by police departments around the country, encourage their readers to get involved. Followers share tips, both on serious cases,such as identifying a potential murderer, as well as the less daunting, like reuniting a lost pet with its frantic owner. Today, the average person is able to take part in a process they once had little knowledge about. Along the way everyone gets the opportunity to understand and appreciate each other a little more.
