4. OVERVIEW
Situation
Relations between communities and law enforcement officials are a major issue in the
United States, today. Police units are meant to keep order within the cities they patrol, but,
as of lately, opinions vary as to whether officers are protecting their citizens. An internet
search can produce multiple occurrencesinvolving police officers and citizens, which leads
people to believe the police and justice systemsare not in the right. For example, less than
50% of the Hispanic and black communities trust their police officers to protect their
safety1.
The Major Cities Chiefs Association and the Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services have tasked Group 8 with building trust within the communities they are
obligated to serve and protect withoutsacrificing the safety of those communities.
Opportunity
Decades ago, crime was not within Americanâs top five major concerns2. Nowadays, it tops
the charts of peopleâsgreatest fear within their country3. Police and justice forces
nationwide have to leverage communitypolicies and relations to create trust between
officers and their publics.
The public is vulnerable, and police are in the powerful position of relating their strengths
and mission statements. During a time when the nation faces foreign threats, police have
the opportunity to reshape their communitiesâ perspectives and to create a trusted bonds.
Challenge
The U.S. Conference of Mayors Working Group of Mayorsand Police Chiefs reported Jan.
22, 2015, that the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown raised issues that are difficult to
discuss4. According to the report, the shooting of an unarmed, black teenager by a white
police officer brought up "issues of race, class, prejudice, poverty, and inequality." The
grand jury's decision to not indictthe officer deepened the divide.
Other instances occurred that further alienated police within their communities. This
division resulted in backlash from people seeking justice for what they feel the victims
deserve.
An underlying problem lies within protests and riots. Protesters are passionate in trying to
get their voices heard, and they end up either under arrest or are gassed by officers. MCCA
and COPS Office must prepare to deal with protesters at any event involving police within
communities where tensions run high.
5. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Major Cities Chiefs Association
Strengths
ï· The association reaches both the
United States and Canada
ï· Access to distributed materials from
both the organization and the media
ï· Member Cities
ï· Active Facebook presence
ï· Three seasonal conferences
ï· Links on website
Opportunities
ï· Tommy Norman as a potential influencer
ï· To promote a more diverse police force
ï· There is room for growth on social media
o Suggestion: Major Cities should
consider Twitter and YouTube
ï· Reaching out to youths in elementary to
build relationships and to promote as a
possible career
ï· Create a relationship with major media
outlets
ï· Create a conference to unite Tommy
Norman and Black Lives Matter
movement
ï· Gain publicity by strengthening MCCA
and COPS Officeâs positions
Weaknesses
ï· No central office
ï· Links to press releases expire
ï· Major Cities is only active on one
social media platform: Facebook
ï· Not enough executive diversity
ï· Not a prominent organization
Threats
ï· Other police-run organizations
ï· Rise in police-related shootingsof black
males
ï· Negative perception of police officers
ï· Potential riotsthat can break out
6. SITUATION ANALYSIS
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
Strengths
ï· Funding transparency
ï· Successful tactic: Coffee With A Cop
Day
ï· Director Ronald L. Davis appointed by
Obama
ï· Provides police strategies, training,
technical assistance to all ranks of law
enforcement
ï· Component within the Department of
Justice office
ï· Active on social media
ï· Worked with President Obama to
devise detailed plan for community
policing
Opportunities
ï· Attach name recognition
ï· Create an Instagram account
ï· Ronald L. Davis profile piece
ï· Gain publicity by strengthening MCCA
and COPS Officeâs positions
Weaknesses
ï· No name recognition
ï· âCopsâ gives false denotations
ï· Difficult to maneuver website
Threats
ï· Potential shootings
ï· Uncontrolled media
ï· Negative perception of police in general
because of interactions
8. According to an MCCA news release, the organization and all law enforcement are aware
that African-American males dying at the hands of police is a chief concern5.
ï· In 2015, 258 black males â representing 26% of all victims â were shot and skilled by
officers. African-Americans represent 14% of the entire population.
ï· In 38 (15%) of those encounters with police, they were unarmed, as compared to 93
(9.4%) of the entire 990 shootings.
ï· As of Sept. 27, 2016, there have been a total of 714 officer-involved shootings, with
2,174 (24%) African-Americans.
ï· In 15 (8.6) of those cases, the person was unarmed.
âMCCA played a major role in the Presidentâs Task Force on 21st Century Policing. One of
the co-chairs, retired Philadelphia Commissioner Charles Ramsey, is the immediate past
president of MCCA and one of the members of the task force was retired Tucson Chief
Roberto Villasenor. The Task Force Report was released in May 2015 and included 62
recommendations and 92 action items. MCCA held four meetings during the summer to
discuss the implementation of the recommendations. The Community Oriented Policing
Services (COPS) Office provided support for three roundtable discussions with MCCA
members. The Laura and John Arnold Foundation supported a partnership with the
International City/County Managers Association to discuss the recommendations with local
government officials and community organizations in the context of improvingpolice
community relationships.â6
9. RESEARCH: CLIENT
About COPS Office
The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services was established in 1994 and is part of
the U.S. Department of Justice. COPS Office takescontrol of community policing
throughout the nation, states, local, territorial, and tribal law police agencies by offering
resourceful information.
COPS Officeâs goal is to employ professional officers throughoutthe nation by providing
police strategies, training, and technical assistance to all ranks of law enforcement to build
trust and respect within police and communities. Since the establishment of COPS Office,
there has been more than $14 billion to support improvement of community policing7.
Leadership
United States Attorney General Eric Holder selected Ronald L. Davis, who is African-
American, in November 2013 as the COPS Office director8. President Barack Obama
appointed Davis to serve as executive director of the newly developed PresidentâsTask
Force on 21st Century Policing. Obama assigned Davis and the Task Force to create a plan
to better improve community policing, trust with communities, and expand public safety9.
The COPS Office initiated Oct. 7, 2016, as National Coffee with a Cop Day10. Over 500 law
enforcement agencies participated in the country, and eight other countries have adopted
this day11.
Community Policing in Action: Photo Contest by Nov. 4, 2016
This was a photo contest, initiated by the COPS Office nationwide, to show officers
positively involved in their community. Pictures are shown on the website.
Dallas reached the semi-finals. Winners included pictures from cities, Pennsylvania,
Georgia (WINNER), Virginia, Colorado, Wisconsin, Delaware, Florida, California, Illinois,
Missouri, Maryland and New Jersey12.
Social media platforms
ï· COPS Office publishes an e-newsletter.
ï· COPS Office is very active on Facebook, with new posts at least once almost daily.
Posts include national heritage months, news about the organization, and community
outreach opportunities.
ï· COPS Office posts regularly on Twitter, at least once daily. Postsinclude honoring
officer and civilian deaths, raising awareness about COPSâs current projects, issues
occurring in the country, promoting COPSâs projects, and engaging internet users to
become active in their community.
ï· YouTube uploads are on a monthly basis. Videos include speeches from law
enforcement hierarchy, national holidayâs, Justice Department announcements,
responses to shootings and other community disturbances.
10. Programs
Presidentâs Task Force on 21st Century Policing: Developed Dec. 18, 2014, President Barack
Obama created an 11-member task force, as an executive order, to combat the issues faced
between law enforcement agencies and their communities.
This task force met seven timesin 90 days to review nine pillars of focus: building trust and
legitimacy; policy and oversight; technologyand social media; community policing and
crime reduction; training and education; and officer wellness and safety.
This now serves as a resource for agencies to turn to when wanting to exemplify positive
changes in their actions13.
Advancing 21st Century Policing Initiative was launched in May 2016. This program will
provide hands-on assessments and technical assistance to select offices around the country.
Texas has two offices within this program, one in Arlington, and the other in San Antonio.
Coverage consists of when COPS Office is awarded grants, when they will oversee agencies
actions and when they have implemented a new program. In the news about every month
or every other month.
11. RESEARCH: INDUSTRY
Industry â Community and Police Relationships
Murphy, Kristina. "Public Satisfaction With Police: The Importance Of Procedural Justice
And Police Performance In PoliceâCitizen Encounters." Australian & New Zealand
Journal Of Criminology (Australian Academic Press) 42.2 (2009): 159-178. Criminal
Justice Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Law enforcementcan greater improve trust and relationship with communities when they
perform fair job duties, putting less strain on authoritative procedures, according to
Murphy.
The public is more likely to comply with police regulations when they have the opportunity
to have conversations with their local officers and see officers use similar behavior per
individual (acting with dignity and respect).
Police can be viewed as more legitimate when they are involved with their community
residents, according to a 2003 Sunshine and Tyler article.
A study of Oakland residents living in high crime areas concluded favorable evaluations of
law enforcementofficers after office had changed from command-and-control orientation to
a fair and respectful disposition (Tyler and Huo, 2002).
12. RESEARCH: COMPETITORS
National Association of Chiefs of Police (NACOP)
This nonprofit was founded in Florida 1967, and was organized for education and charitable
activities. The organization provides funding to small departments, officers and the family
of those paralyzed or disabled in the line of duty14.
Program expenses are covered by 23.4% of funds, and over 60% of funds are spent on
fundraising14.
International Association of Chiefs of Police
A professional law enforcement association that runs for more than 120 years. The
association has 25,078 members in 115 countries15.
Tools provided help members perform their jobs effectively, efficiently, and safely while
educating the public on law enforcementâs role in building sustainable community
relations15.
Some common issues dealt within MCCA are also part of the IACP association project
initiatives. Its projects include âProtectingCitizensâ Civil Rights,â âIdentity Crimes Project,â
âGun and Gang Violence Reductionâ and âVictim Assistance.â
IACP provides1,450 days of training a year, 204 workshops, 101 meetings and 91 events in
hotels and other venues with 15,335 total attendance including delegates from 83 countries.
Each region has its own association of police chiefs, such as Texas Association of Chiefs of
Police and New England Association of Chiefsof Police, with each possessing its own
guidelines, procedures and mission statements.
Black Lives Matter
Created in 2012 after the death of Trayvon Martin by an officer. Black Lives Matter is
neither a charity organization, nor an organization. Black LivesMatter is a movement that
launched on social media.
Advocating against violence towards African-American lives in the forms of police brutality,
overcrowded jails, assault, poverty, unequally treated immigrants, etc.
Guiding principles include supporting diversity, equal justice, community and empathy.
âIt is an affirmation of Black folksâ contributions to this society, our humanity, and our
resilience in the face of deadly oppression.â16
Social media outlets include email, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram. Posts at
least once a day on each, promoting African-American achievements in the U.S. and its key
messages of social peace and justice for all.
Growing hashtag and movement in the current generation. Used as a hashtag whenever
there is unfair police violence against a black person.
13. RESEARCH: TARGET AUDIENCE
Populous cities are where majority of the trust is broken between law enforcement and
those they serve. More than 50% of minorities do not trusttheir officers, while over 50% of
white Americans believe their law enforcement is doing a great job at protecting their
communities.
Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeleshave increasing tension between law
enforcement and local citizens. Focusing on these cities may prevent the next American
tragedy.
Specifically, this campaign will target the following:
ï· Black males, ages 33 to 44
o Located in Baltimore, Chicago and Dallas
o With an annual household income of $50,000 or less
ï· Hispanic males, ages 18 to 44
o Located in Los Angeles
o With an annual household income of $50,000 or less
15. PROGRAM GOALS
Goal #1
To enhance two-way communication at the city-level and establish a trusting relationship
between Major CitiesChiefs Association and the Office of Community Oriented Policing
Services.
Goal #2
To increase awareness of the efforts made by the Major Cities Chiefs Association and the
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, so that their publics can easily get
involved in community events.
Goal #3
To aid in putting a stop to police brutality in unjust ratios of minorities and low-income
residents.
16. OBJECTIVES
Objective #1: Output
To host festivals in the four designated cities (Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles)
through a joint partnership between the COPS Office and MCCA organizations.
Objective #2: Impact â Informational
To produce at least one positive media story about the COPS Office and MCCA in each of
the four cities in at least one major newspaper and one broadcast outletby the end of the
2017-18 campaign year.
To generate four national newsstories about MCCA and COPS organizations using positive
community outreach methods.
Objective #3: Impact â Attitudinal
To convince 5% of residents that live in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles that
police are not the enemy and that there is a potential positive relationship between the
community and police.
Objective #4: Impact â Behavioral
To influence 30% of men, ages 18 to 44, in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles to
work in harmony with city police departments.
To decrease police shootings 10% during the year 2017.
18. TARGET PUBLICS
Primary Target Publics
ï· Black males ages 33 to 44
o Located in Baltimore, Chicago and Dallas
o With an annual household income of $50,000 or less
ï· Hispanic males ages 18 to 44
o Located in Los Angeles
o With an annual household income of $50,000 or less
Secondary Target Public
ï· Males ages 18 to 44
o Located in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles
o With an annual household income of $14,000 or less
Influencers
ï· Tommy Norman
ï· Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Mayor of Baltimore
o Leaving office to be professional speaker
Policymakers
Baltimore
ï· Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, since 2010
o She is the second female mayor
o Active on Twitter
Chicago
ï· Mayor: Rahm Emanuel, since 2011
Dallas
ï· Mayor: Mike Rawlings
o 61st mayor of Dallas
o Works closely with Dallas Commission on Homelessness
o Called by peers and residents the âHomeless Czarâ
o Park Board President (Previous)
o On the Jesuit College Preparatory Board of Trustees
o Tent City: Under I-30 and I-45
ï· City Office of Community Relations â Brenda Allen
o Not the officeâs chief executive, but Allen works closely with its social
media and neighborhood engagements
ï· City Office of Policy, Media & Communications â Patricia Blasquez
o Not the officeâs chief executive, but Blasquez works with media requests,
social media platforms and Dallasâ arts and cultural scene
19. Los Angeles
ï· Mayor: Eric Garcetti, since 2013
o Formerly served as a Los Angeles City Council member for the 13th
District
ï· Council president, 2006 to 2012
o Democratic Party, 45 years old, married
o Initiatives:
ï· Office of Sustainability
ï· Addressing Homelessness
ï· Aliso Canyon Gas Leak Resources
ï· U.S.-China Climate Leaders Summit
ï· LA Great Streets
o Streets cover 18% of L.A.âs land mass
ï§ Initiativeâs goal: to serve, support and strengthen
vibrant corridors that are the backbone of Los
Angeles
ï§ 15 corridors
ï· Infrastructure
ï· The open call winner for Los Angeles Poet Laureate
o Deadline: Dec. 16, 2016, at 11:59 p.m.
Poet Laureate serves as an official ambassador of the cityâs cultural scene, promoting rich
literacy and celebrating the written word
21. STRATEGIES
Strategy #1
To host a festival in the four communities, which will serve as a positive environment
where men ages 18 to 44 can spend time with their families, all while learning about the
benefits of working alongside police to achieve a common goal.
Strategy #2
To use media relations and social media platforms to reach our target audience, males ages
18 to 44.
To promote the festivals through radio stations for long commuters or radios on buses.
Strategy #3
A partnership with Tommy Norman to: pitch a feature story about Normanâs involvement
in Four Cities Festivapalooza, use as a credible source for the social media campaign, and
to distribute key messages of positive community policing within diverse neighborhoods.
Strategy #4
To set up booths at the festivals that provide a wealth of information about the benefits of
MCCA and COPS office, the subject of body cameras, and policing the police.
To host family-friendly activities like games that will bring in children and their fathersto
bond and create a sense of goodwill at the festival.
Strategy #5
To send press kits to major daily newspapers and four national news networks in each of
the four communities where FourCities Festivapalooza will be held.
Strategy #6
To build a website designated solely for the Four CitiesFestivapalooza campaign.
Strategy #7
To find one person in each of the four communities impacted by police violence, interview
them about their experience, and write personality profiles to pitch to designated media
outlets.
23. KEY MESSAGES
Key Message #1
Four Cities Festivapalooza unites police officers and their communities.
Key Message #2
COPS is here for your family.
Key Message #3
An African-American is 2.5 times more likely to be shot and killed by a police officer than a
Caucasian American.
Key Message #4
Do you want to dunk a cop? Join the fun at Four Cities Festivapalooza.
25. TACTICS
Tactic #1: Festival activities/venues
ï· COPS Office and MCCA will host information booths for their specific organizations,
as well as various other police-affiliated organizations
o Bring in businesses lookingfor new hiresto host their own information
booths. This provides incentive for men ages 18 to 44 to attend.
ï· Games include:
o Dunking officers in a water tank will increase participation among older
crowds
o Children can pin badges on an officer as an instructional activitythat
demonstrates where officer name and numbers go
o Corn hole
o Jenga
o Inflatable bounce houses for children to play in
ï· Event venues:
o Baltimore: Inner Harbor
o Chicago: Chicago Park District
o Dallas: Fair Park
o Los Angeles: Grand Park
Tactic #2: Utilize social media platforms for campaign
ï· MCCA: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
o Facebook: Post once daily â one image with each text post. During the event,
have participants use a special hashtag and enable tagging for city-specific
festival albums.
ï§ Create Facebook eventunder the profile page with a summary of what
the campaign is about, why MCCA and COPS Office are working
together to host the event, and how people can volunteer and/or
participate with their families.
o Twitter: Post twice daily â one photograph/graphic/infographic/gif with text
and one regular text post. Create a moment on the Twitter profile page for
each festival event.
o Instagram
ï· COPS Office: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat
o Facebook: Post once daily â one image with each text post â leading up to
each festival event. On the day of each festival, post Facebook Live videos of
officers being dunked and pinned. Also, on the festival days, post a photo of
where information booths are being held.
ï§ Create Facebook eventunder the profile page with a summary of what
the campaign is about, why MCCA and COPS Office are working
together to host the event, and how people can volunteer and/or
participate with their families.
26. o Twitter: Post once daily â both an image and a text post. Create a moment on
the Twitter profile page for each event. Also, host a live Q&A session with the
COPS Office director.
o Instagram
o YouTube: Post videos on the days leading up to the festival, with a time lapse
on the video to show how the festival is being put together during those days.
On the festival day, have families give brief interviewsabout what they liked
about the event, and possibly get COPS Office membersand MCCA members
to join the conversations.
o Snapchat
ï· In addition, use social media with Tommy Norman as a credible source to discuss
the upcoming festivals held in Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles.
o Verse Norman well in the campaignâs key messages, including how MCCA
and COPS Office are striving to spread positive community policing within
diverse neighborhoods.
Tactic #3: Send Tommy Norman on a tour
ï· Spokesperson Tommy Norman will tour Baltimore, Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago
to host each festival. Norman will be available for meet-and-greets and group selfies.
ï· Use the hashtag â#TommyTakesFestivapalooza.â
Tactic #4: Generate media coverage
ï· Baltimore: Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Magazine, city paper, W-BAL-TV11, WJZ13,
WMAR2, WBFF
o Newspaper: Pitch a feature to Baltimore Sun about local police/positive story
that also highlights the local festival.
ï§ Baltimore Sun is a newspaper with local news, trending stories,
sports, politics, obituaries and a business section. There is an e-
newsletter, as well.
ï§ Baltimore Magazine
ï§ The cityâs paper is affiliated with Baltimore Sun Media Group
o Radio: Have Tommy Norman narrate a little blurb about the festival in
between interviews and songs. Feature an actual interview with a local host
to provide information about his mission, the mission of COPS Office and
MCCA, as well as the festival.
ï§ W-BAL-TV11 is a local news station for Baltimore Maryland (NBC
affiliated)
ï§ WJZ13 is a news station (CBS affiliated)
ï§ WMAR2 is a news station (ABC affiliated)
ï§ WBFF is a news station (Fox-affiliated)
o Television: Feature a segment about the festival that provides insight on the
location, the time and the nature of the event. Have one reporter report on
the event to be aired afterward in case there is an annual festival that will
take place in later years.
ï· Chicago: Chicago Defender, NBC 5 Chicago, The Steve Harvey Show and WVON
1690AM radio station
27. o Pitch Chicago Defender a feature story about Tommy Norman and his
success, as well as how Norman will serve as a spokesperson for MCCA and
COPS Officeâs festivals.
o Send a news release to NBC 5 Chicago and contact a news reporter to give
them a rundown of the event. Discuss COPS Office and MCCA and why
theyâre holding the event. Mention who will attend the event and what kind
of influencers will be present (i.e., Tommy Norman).
o Pitch the âSteve Harveyâ show and WVON 1690AM radio station to promote
the event for local constituents.
ï· Dallas: K104, WFAA 8, 93.3 and 97.9 radio stations
o Pitch radio station K104 in Dallas to promote the festival to Metroplex
residents.
o Send a news release to WFAA 8 about the event.
ï· Los Angeles: KCBS, KNBC, KTLA, KTTV, KMEX, KIIS-FM, KPCC-FM, KFI-AM,
KPWR-FM, LA Times, LA Daily Journal, Los Angeles Magazine and LA Weekly
o L.A. news channels
ï§ KCBS â Ch 2 â CBS
ï§ KNBC â Ch 4 â NBC
ï§ KTLA â Ch 5 â CW
ï§ KABC â Ch 7 â ABC
ï§ KTTV â Ch 11 â FOX
ï§ KMEX â Ch 34 - Univision
o L.A. radio stations
ï§ KIIS-FM 102.7
ï§ KPCC-FM 89.3
ï§ KFI-AM 640
ï§ KPWR-FM 105.9
o L.A. printed media
ï§ LA Times
ï§ LA Daily Journal
ï§ Los Angeles Magazine
ï§ LA Weekly
Tactic #5: Community engagement/traveling basketball team
29. EXECUTION
Timeline
January through March â Los Angeles
April through June â Baltimore
July through September â Chicago
October through December â Dallas
Sample deliverables/collateral
ï· Media releases
o Four Cities Festivapalooza announcement
o Release information about vendors co-sponsoring the four festivals
o Send out four releases on the days the festivals take place
ï· Media advisories
o Contact local newspapers and broadcasters mentioned in tactics about the
festivals
o Present photo and interview opportunities with Tommy Norman, Ronald L.
Davis and the MCCA leadership team
o Hold a conference call for stakeholders to discuss the situation and the
benefits
ï· Feature stories
o Tommy Norman
o Ronald L. Davis of COPS Office
o Coffee with a Cop Day origin
Every week, publish a social media story about an officer affiliated with either COPS Office or
MCCA
31. EVALUATION
ï· Measure how many people accepted the Facebook event invitation compared to the
people who actually attended
ï· Do a media audit of the news stories to make sure they are 50% positive
ï· Measure how many people visit our website
ï· Measure how many people share our Facebook festival event campaign invitation
ï· Contests and radio plugs measure the number of exposures of the medium.
ï· Measure how many people attended the festival
ï· Field responses from festival attendees to measure their attitudes about the event and
whether the event changed their perspectives
o Since this might be hard to measure there could be a âcommentâ box at the exit
of the festival where people explain their feelings prior and after the festival.
Possibly interviews to determine this as well.
Was all of the media prior, covering, and after the eventpositive or negative?
32. UNEXPECTED RESULTS
Weather advisories
Tommy Norman, or someone just as important to the campaign, becomes ill
Advertisements do not air on radio or broadcast television
No outlet runs the stories pitched for their publication
Venues are destroyed either naturally or unexpectedly by the city
An overwhelming or underwhelming turnout
Vendors back out of the event
A violent riotor death occurs involving an officer before the FourCities Festivapalooza
A lawsuit
A riot or violentoccurrence at the festivals
34. CONCLUSION/RATIONALE
Conclusion #1
This will work because it will give MCCAand COPS Office the opportunity to engage with
their audience through a festival in four major cities.
In addition, they will receive answersfrom their target audience through the surveys at the
events to get input and feedback, which will help both organizations in improving
community policing.
Conclusion #2
Hosting contests and radio plugs will work because contests are popular, along with free
merchandise that radio stations bring to events to promote their stations. The festival in
Baltimore would promote both radio stations and the festival.
Conclusion #3
The festival will attract membersof our target audience (through their kids)with games
and family activities. The festival is free so membersof the target audience might attend
just because it is an inexpensive activity, even those who may not have children.
The theme of the festival itself could inspire target audience to attend because of their
feelings about the topic.
