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Policeandmodernmedia
1. SERVING THE POLICE COMMUNITY SINCE 1938
PANEL DISCUSSION
WHAT’S THE IDEAL
RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN POLICE
AND REPORTERS? P.12
VOL.73, NO. 3, 2011
THROUGH
THE LENS
FOCUSING ON
POLICE AND
MODERN MEDIA
FROM THE
SILVER SCREEN
GROUNDBREAKING TO REALITY
TECHNOLOGY TELEVISION
SEISMOLOGY PRINCIPLES THE CHANGING FACE OF
USED TO PREVENT CRIMES P.29 THE RCMP P.7
CURE FOR CONNECTING WITH
THE ‘SICK’ COMMUNITIES
EDUCATION-BASED TORONTO POLICE
DISCIPLINE OFFERS SERVICE BUILDS A
ALTERNATIVE TO SOCIAL MEDIA
SUSPENSIONS P.30 STRATEGY P.22
R C M P - G R C . G C . C A
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 1
3. Serving the police community since 1938
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 A Royal Canadian Mounted Police Publication
7
COVER SECTION
7 From the silver screen to reality television — the
changing face of the RCMP
10 RCMP takes proactive approach to media relations
12 Panel discussion: What’s the ideal relationship
between police and reporters?
14 Data mining the Internet and the deep web
16 Social networking fuels the London and Vancouver riots
18 Twitter, Facebook changing the way U.S. police interact
with reporters and the public 16
20 How the generation gap influences social media policy
22 Toronto Police Service builds strategy to connect with
the community
24 Q&A with Jim Bremner, technical advisor for TV’s
Flashpoint
26 website delves into CSI effect theory and its effect
on juries
27 Shocking seatbelt ads teach drivers to buckle up
DEPARTMENTS 20
4 Editorial message
5 News Notes
28 Just the Facts: Legal highs
29 Emerging Trends: Applying the principles of
earthquakes to crime data
30 Best Practice: education-based discipline offers
alternative to suspensions
32 On the Leading Edge
34 From our Partners: Questioning Canadian interviewing
training and practice
24
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 3
5. NEWS NOTES
NEW ALERT SYSTEM FOR LOST SENIORS
Statistically, six out of 10 seniors with cog- 2012. increases.
nitive impairments will wander from their Aggelonitis, whose grandmother had However, Montpetit says an elderly per-
homes at least once during their illness. The Alzheimer’s, says this kind of program will son is unlikely to wander more than 2.4 km
province of Ontario is now taking steps to provide the kind of reassurance families from their home, which means one of the
ensure that when this does happen, patients need. most important components of these advi-
will be discovered safely and returned home “Nothing is worse than that moment sories is education and awareness for family
quickly. when your loved one who has Alzheimer’s or members and community residents.
The Silver Advisory program, modeled another form of dementia wanders,” says Ag- With this knowledge, family can take
after the Amber Alert program for abducted gelonitis. “Having such a program in place preventative measures or neighbours can stay
children, is being developed with various will not only help to find the senior, but will alert and situations can be resolved faster,
health and seniors interest groups as well as also help reassure the family that the whole more efficiently and sometimes without ever
with police forces and the Ontario Broad- community is out there looking.” having to call for police assistance.
casters Association. It is the first provincial Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Steve “We’re here to respond, we’re here
program of its kind in Canada. Montpetit, Ontario’s Amber Alert co-ordi- to assist,” says Montpetit. “But if we can
Ontario’s Minister Responsible for Se- nator, has been participating in the consult- minimize the need for a police response,
niors Sophia Aggelonitis initially introduced ing and planning of the program with the that’s going to be a dramatic savings for us
the program in a private member’s resolution government. and we can put those resources elsewhere in
in 2009. He says once a person with dementia the communities.”
And the idea has since been developed or a cognitive disorder has wandered once,
into a program expected to begin in early their likelihood of wandering again greatly — Sigrid Forberg
BRINGING CRIME REPORTING ONLINE
Halifax Regional Police (HRP) is one of a (LRPS) has been running its Coplogic sys-
growing number of Canadian police agen- tem since December 2009. The system’s con-
cies to launch an online incident reporting venience and ease-of-use encourage people to
system for victims of crimes not in progress. report minor crimes that might otherwise
The Halifax OnLine Reporting System go unreported, says LRPS Insp. Jeff Cove
allows residents and businesses to report — and that allows police to more accurately
non-dispatch crimes such as theft, mischief, assess and respond to local crime conditions.
property damage and fraud to police 24/7, “Car-prowling (mischief to vehicles) is a Courtesy Public Safety Canada
using simple fill-and-submit forms on a se- perfect example,” says Cove. Every smashed Commissioner Bob Paulson addresses the media
in the foyer of the House of Commons with Public
cure Internet site. Reporting parties receive windshield or keyed door panel reported on- Safety Minister Vic Toews and MP Shelly Glover.
case numbers for insurance purposes and are line is incorporated into monthly crime re-
contacted by an officer if further investiga-
tion is required.
ports distributed to street-level patrol units,
he says.
NEW RCMP
“People are now very computer-savvy,” In the Greater Toronto Area, York Re- COMMISSIONER
says HRP Supt. Bill Moore. “(This system) gional Police (YRP) offers online reporting
gives them another means of getting infor- in five languages — English, Chinese, Farsi, Bob Paulson has been appointed the new
mation to us, on their own time, without Italian and Russian — to better serve com- commissioner of the RCMP, succeeding
having to wait in a queue to talk to some- munity diversity, says YRP’s Leslie Nguyen. Commissioner William J.S. Elliott.
body.” The reporting platform also interfaces di- Paulson has had a distinguished 25-
Built in-house, the HRP system gener- rectly with YRP’s records management sys- year career with the RCMP. He has held
ated 3,501 visits to the website and 494 in- tem. progressively senior positions within the
cident reports in June and July 2011, its first With all the potential that online re- Force, most recently as Deputy Commis-
two months of operation. Because online porting systems offer, however, success de- sioner, Federal Policing. Before being ap-
reports are processed by HRP telephone per- pends on support within the community. pointed as Deputy Commissioner, Paul-
sonnel, Moore says the force is getting great- “Right now, we’re probably doing less son served as Assistant Commissioner,
er efficiency from its existing staffing model. than 1,000 online reports a year, out of Contract and Aboriginal Policing Servic-
More than 10 Canadian police agencies about 50,000 files (total),” says Cove in es and Assistant Commissioner, National
operate similar systems. Most use an off-the- Lethbridge. “We’re working on public aware- Security Criminal Investigations.
shelf product developed by California-based ness now.” Read our exclusive interview in the
Coplogic Inc. next issue of the Gazette.
Lethbridge Regional Police Service — Caroline Ross
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 5
6. NEWS NOTES
CHANGES TO VICTIM
SERVICES’ REFERRALS
Trauma can have long-lasting effects on vic-
tims of crime. But timely involvement of vic-
tim services programs can reduce the impact.
In the past, RCMP members required
the victim’s consent to pass along informa-
Southern Alberta Integrated Fugitive Apprehension Unit
tion to victim services.
Often, directly following a traumatic
incident, victims are not in a position to pro-
vide informed consent.
Changes to the RCMP victim ser-
vices referral process and policy will now
allow members to share a victim’s personal
information with provincial or territorial
governments through a memorandum of
understanding (MOU), where provincial
legislation exists.
To ensure compliance with the Privacy
Act and any other pertinent provincial or ter-
Members of the Southern Alberta Integrated Fugitive Apprehension Unit arrest Winnipeg murder suspect Stephen
McKay in a Calgary neighbourhood.
ritorial acts, the RCMP submitted a privacy
impact assessment that identifies and miti-
INTEGRATED UNIT BUSTING ALBERTA FUGITIVES gates any potential privacy risks to this new
approach.
There are some 8,000 warrants for serious per cent are referrals from other agencies in Under the new referral process, only
criminal offences outstanding in the prov- Canada and abroad. limited personal information including the
ince of Alberta, according to government The unit has nabbed fugitives wanted victim’s name, address, telephone number,
statistics. Now, an integrated police unit is for crimes in Newfoundland and Labrador, gender, age and language preference can be
reeling those offenders in. Montana and Barbados, and has a close disclosed.
The Southern Alberta Integrated Fugi- working relationship with the U.S. Marshals A brief summary of the circumstances
tive Apprehension Unit — comprised of 10 Service, says Manning. surrounding the incident such as the pres-
officers from the Calgary Police Service Fu- Team members are also qualified to ence of drugs, alcohol or firearms will also be
gitive Apprehension Detail, the Alberta Fu- handle international extradition processes shared.
gitive Apprehension Sheriffs Support Team in-house. Each policy outlines the circumstances
and the Canada Border Services Agency — Det./Sgt. Brent Black of the Winnipeg where a proactive referral may be made and
has arrested over 200 serious offenders and Police Service collaborated with the unit on these are limited to person’s offences, serious
executed over 1,000 related warrants since the case of Stephen McKay, a Winnipeg- property offences, high-risk and vulnerable
it began operating out of Calgary in January based gang associate who fled to Calgary to sector victims. Exceptions can be made when
2010. evade murder charges. the member feels it is in the victim’s best in-
The unit specializes in tracking and ap- Black says the unit’s expertise and re- terest.
prehending dangerous offenders who are on source commitment in areas such as offender The purpose of this new method is to en-
the lam in Southern Alberta but cannot be tracking, target surveillance, data integra- sure that as many victims as possible are made
located by other agencies using regular inves- tion and prisoner transfer were key to oust- aware of the services available to them.
tigative resources. ing McKay from a well-entrenched criminal The new policy recognizes that the vic-
“The criminals we go after are very network — in little more than a month — tim services worker, as the trained profession-
much adept at avoiding the police. They’re and seamlessly moving him to Winnipeg for al, is the best person to explain the services
career criminals.” says Calgary Police Sgt. trial. they can offer.
Tony Manning, who heads the unit. “A lot “These guys made it their mission to go However, if, once contacted, victims
of them have numerous warrants that have out and find (McKay), and they were good at choose not to take advantage of these pro-
been out for extended periods of time — what they did,” says Black. grams, no further contact will be initiated by
like eight or nine years. Regular police on In the future, Manning says he hopes victim services.
the streets don’t usually have the time or re- to see the unit expand to include represen- Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick
sources to find these people.” tatives from the RCMP and other Southern and Newfoundland have signed MOUs,
The surveillance-based unit tracks up Alberta police forces. with other provinces to hopefully follow.
to 30 targets at once. Most files come from
the Calgary Police Service, but almost 40 — Caroline Ross — Sigrid Forberg
6 Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011
7. COVER STORY
RCMP Historical Collections Unit, Regina, Sask.
COVER
An aerial view taken in 1940 during the filming of the Paramount Pictures feature film North West Mounted Police.
MEDIA
HOLLYWOOD HEROES, CANADIAN CLICHÉS
FACT, FICTION AND THE CHANGING FACE OF THE FORCE
By Sigrid Forberg
Around the world, Canada is known for Mountie always gets his man. linked to that iconic portrayal of the force:
maple trees, its vast and varied terrain — and More than a century later, he’s still cap- red coats, nine-pounder field guns used in
the Mounties. turing our imaginations. the 1874 March West and Musical Ride
But it’s the Mountie, of the North West memorabilia.
Mounted Police (NWMP), who really stood ROMANTIC ROOTS Jodi Ann Eskritt, from the RCMP’s
out. From the late 19th century, he appeared In 1933, the RCMP opened a museum ex- Historical Collections Unit, says the mu-
in dime novels, pulp magazines and radio hibiting its own historical artifacts. Its most seum uses the familiar to draw people in and
shows. recent incarnation, the Heritage Centre, lo- teach them about the unfamiliar.
But he finally made it big in the Holly- cated in Regina, Saskatchewan, opened its “No one else dressed in red has been
wood pictures of the 1930s and 1940s as a doors to the public four years ago. able to capture our imaginations the way the
chivalrous and self-sacrificing hero. The Heritage Centre houses approxi- Mountie in his red tunic has,” says Eskritt.
Movies such as Rose Marie and Susan- mately 40,000 artifacts on rotation, with “For good or for ill, the Mountie is always
nah of the Mounties painted a romantic items ranging from the first commissioner’s going to be the image that people take away
— and often unrealistic — portrait of the medals to a hollowed-out log used to smug- of Canada.
NWMP’s efforts ushering in law and order gle illegal hooch across the border during “It may have a lot to do with the early
to the untamed Canadian West. Hollywood prohibition in the United States. setting — it’s an adventure, it’s romantic, the
taught us that the earnest and righteous The most popular items tend to be idea of taming something unknown.”
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 7
8. COVER STORY
TUNIC TROUBLES Do Right, the eponymous star of the Rocky centile range, the force has faced criticism
Countless Hollywood films featured and Bullwinkle segment, while British com- from the media in recent years for the han-
Mountie characters in the first half of the edy troupe Monty Python gave us Mounties dling of certain incidents. Unfortunately,
20th century, and while the free publicity was singing about wearing ladies underwear. media coverage on these issues has overshad-
appreciated, these characters did present a Thirty years later, when Due South rode owed all the force’s positive work.
few problems for the RCMP. onto the scene, the show, starring Canadian In the hopes of showcasing the good,
The biggest issue the force took with actor Paul Gross as the charmingly naïve and in 2008, the force opened its doors to Cana-
these movies was that the uniform varied chivalrous Cst. Benton Fraser, fans across dian production company JenCor to create
from film to film. Often, the only accurate the world bought in. More than a decade a television documentary series about the
detail was its red colour. And the characters since the finale, it’s common for Canadians force.
and settings rarely reflected the real Ca- travelling abroad to still meet fans who as- Sgt. Pat Flood, a former media relations
nadian experience in the early days of the sociate the show with Canada. officer, and Supt. Tim Cogan, the Director
NWMP. The premise of the show was that Cst. General of National Communication Ser-
Concerned they weren’t being por- Fraser had walked from the Canadian north vices of the RCMP worked closely with Jen-
trayed the way they would like, the RCMP to Chicago in search of his father’s killer. Cor to develop a 13-episode season.
began allowing current and retired members Once there, he was partnered with a cur- Each show explored a different aspect
to consult on films or work as extras to en- mudgeonly, impatient American cop, Det. of work within the RCMP, from police dog
sure their interests were represented. Ray Vecchio, who provides a foil for Fraser’s services to peace operations overseas. Flood
Also, being known as the simple and character. and the directors featured 21 members with
earnest singing riders wasn’t always helpful. The two North American police officers varied backgrounds and levels of experience
MEDIA
Dr. Michael Dawson, a history profes- embody all of the North American stereo- spread throughout the organization.
sor at St. Thomas University, wrote his Mas- types; while Fraser is polite and considerate With Courage in Red, Cogan says
ter’s thesis on the RCMP image, which he to a fault, Vecchio is loud and pushy, bull- he hoped to show the human side of the
then later expanded into a book, The Mount- dozing his way through cases. RCMP’s very public profession and the posi-
ie: From Dime Novel to Disney. He recalls While Fraser is the hero, Canadians tive contributions its employees make every
stumbling upon internal memos from the and their quaint ways tend to be the butt of day in the communities they serve.
1960s in his research, expressing concerns the jokes. But this time, the RCMP was find- “I often say we’re not in the business of
about the impact of these films. ing the humour in it. selling flowers,” he says. “We deal with con-
“There were all these interesting inter- “I like that idea that as we are getting flict, crime, loss of life, trauma, tragedy and
nal grumblings,” says Dawson. “You’d have more mature in our history that the force is danger. Out of that will come bad stuff now
the Commissioner saying, look, it’s all fine able to take that iconic image we’ve devel- and then, but there is also a lot of good that
that we’ve got this romantic Rose Marie oped over the years and laugh at ourselves a happens on the front line.”
image but I’ve got to sit down with J. Edgar little bit,” says Eskritt. “That’s a sign of matu- The show aired on the Outdoor Life
Hoover of the FBI and I need to be taken se- rity and being comfortable with ourselves.” Network over the winter of 2010. Unfortu-
COVER
riously.” nately coinciding with the economic reces-
COURAGE OUTSIDE OF CONVENTION sion, it wasn’t picked up by a major network,
SCARLET SATIRE But it hasn’t always been an easy ride. While as had been originally hoped. That being
The late 1960s brought a makeover for the public opinion research shows that the said, it’s still considered a successful venture.
Mountie in popular culture. American RCMP have a remarkable amount of sup- “Based on the internal and external
popular culture brought us hapless Dudley port, falling somewhere in the 80 to 90 per- feedback we were seeing, a lot of people were
1910 1939
FIRST OF MORE THAN 200 FIRST BROADCAST
HOLLYWOOD MOUNTIE OF RADIO DRAMA,
MOTION PICTURES, RIDER OF SERGEANT PRESTON
THE PLAINS, MADE BY EDISON OF THE YUKON, AIRS IN
MOVING PICTURE COMPANY. DETROIT, MICHIGAN.
1887 1933 1969
MUSICAL RIDE FIRST RCMP THe DuDLey Do-RIgHT SHow
ESTABLISHED. MUSEUM AIRS ON U.S. TELEVISION,
OPENS. WITH 38 SEGMENTS OVER
FIVE MONTHS.
8 Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011
9. COVER STORY
Photo illustration by Alexandre Guilbeault
excited about it,” says Flood. “It’s a shame
A still taken from the Courage in Red episode on RCMP
we couldn’t do another season but I still get emergency response teams.
emails from the directors and cameramen
saying they would drop whatever they were
working on to come back and shoot another
season with us.”
MUSICAL MELDING
And that excitement surrounding the force
is clear through its commercial success.
In the late 1980s, Mattel unveiled its
Canadian Barbie, decked out in red serge
and topped off with a Stetson.
In 1995, the RCMP signed a five-year
contract with Walt Disney Co. to help pack-
age and sell their image. Since then, each
year, roughly $5.5 million retail dollars of of-
ficially licensed RCMP products are sold per
year in Canada.
And the famous Musical Ride, with its
COVER
red-coated riders and black-coated horses,
never fails to draw in huge crowds. Cana-
dians and visitors abroad are drawn to the
124-year-old spectacle.
The perfectly synched 32 riders per-
forming cavalry drills are just one aspect of
many in the Musical Ride performance, says
Supt. Marty Chesser, the officer in charge of
the ride.
After the show, the public are given “The red serge is an important com-
the opportunity to enter the stables and ponent, but it’s not the be-all, end-all of the
visit with the riders and horses to learn more RCMP,” says Chesser.
about the organization as a whole. “I’ve told people that I’ve met right traditions like the Musical Ride, there’s an
Chesser says he’s proud of the diversity across this country that you can do a differ- opportunity to inspire interest and curiosity.
MEDIA
found in his ranks. In 2009, every province ent job in the RCMP every six months, have “We hope they’ve had their curiosity
and territory in the country was represented. a 35-year career and not do half of the things piqued when they leave,” says Eskritt. “It’s
And because officers only stay for a rotation that we have to offer.” kind of like the tip of an iceberg.
of three years, they all come to the ride with And Eskritt adds that it would never If you really do it right, they will realize
different backgrounds — both personal and be possible to showcase all of these elements. that there’s a whole iceberg under the water-
professional — to share. But, with places like the Heritage Centre or line and that they’ll want to learn more.”
1994 2009
DUE SOUTH 1999 COURAGE IN RED AIRS ON
AIRS ON CTV IN DuDLey Do-RIgHT CANADIAN NETWORKS,
CANADA AND LIve-aCTIon FILM OUTDOOR LIVING NETWORK
CBS IN THE U.S., STARRING BRENDAN AND SASKATCHEWAN
LASTING FOUR FRASER AND SARAH COMMUNICATIONS
SEASONS. JESSICA PARKER. NETWORK.
1995 2007
RCMP SIgnS FIve- RCMP HERITAGE
YEAR CONTRACT CENTRE IN
WITH WALT REGINA,
DISNEY CO. TO SASKATCHEWAN
LICENSE IMAGE. REOPENS.
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 9
10. COVER STORY
MEDIA
RCMP
Prince Edward Island RCMP’s Sgt. Andrew Blackadar speaks with CBC reporter Brian Higgins.
POLICING THE PRESS
NEW AGE, NEW ATTITUDES
By Sigrid Forberg
Police and media have the same basic goal — Insp. Tim Shields has said that even though young officers who were interested in pro-
to cut through the superficial and get to the it takes three times the amount of effort moting snowmobile safety.
truth. and time compared to simply responding Rather than going out and issuing tick-
COVER
Historically, their differing motivations to inquiries, getting out proactive stories is ets, Dawson suggested the officers invite lo-
and methods have put them at odds with crucial. And he adds that without help from cal TV cameras to accompany them to make
one another. And this leaves the people that front-line investigators, it’s an impossible it more about prevention than enforcement.
both are working for — the general public — task. The reporters ended up putting together a
without the service they deserve. three-minute piece about safety and aware-
But recent developments in technol- RISKS BRING RESULTS ness that ran across the province.
ogy have resulted in a 24/7 news cycle. Both Sgt. Paul Dawson, a media relations officer Dawson credits the detachment com-
journalists and the police have to be prepared in Saskatchewan, says the benefit greatly out- mander, S/Sgt. Barry Thomas from Nipawin,
to respond to anything and everything at any weighs the effort. Working closely together Saskatchewan, for taking a risk and getting
time. Negative stories play out on television even fosters better appreciation of one an- on board with the initiative. He says that’s
or over the Internet sometimes before police other’s responsibilities. not often the case.
even hear about them, let alone prepare re- “Every day is a fresh slate for them — “There’s always a thousand reasons not
sponses. they’re always looking for new stories to tell. to do something like this,” says Dawson.
So the RCMP has started to shift its ap- And I’ve never had them not want to partici- “Someone could get hurt or the officer could
proach in working with the media. Media pate in something that I’ve brought to their end up saying something he shouldn’t. But
relations officers are making more proactive attention,” says Dawson. “So we can either you just have to take that leap of faith and
efforts to reach out to journalists, to promote wait for them to come up with their own sto- think about all the potential and possibili-
the good things police are doing in commu- ries or we can invite them on different things ties in these kinds of stories.”
nities and to help shape public knowledge that are going on within our organization.”
surrounding the national police force. Dawson says he is always looking for op- SHAPING THE STORIES
Each Canadian province has taken its portunities for positive stories. Working in Newfoundland and Labrador,
own spin on this concept. He gives one example of when he was Sgt. Boyd Merrill has an advantage over
British Columbia RCMP spokesman working in a small detachment with several those working in larger provinces.
10 Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011
11. COVER STORY
Given the small and close-knit nature of POLICE AS PEOPLE ous news stories generate.
the island he works on, when Merrill calls in But there are always opportunities for the Not only does this workshop offer
to the local talk-radio show, he’s able to reach larger provinces to showcase their good members the chance to hear the perspective
more than half of the province. news, too. of the journalist, but it also helps them better
Merrill will often call in when he has Recently, the RCMP has been criticized understand what the media is looking for in
a topic or message he wants to promote and for the amount of overweight and obese a story so both parties can work towards de-
the moderators will put him on air and let members. livering the best service to the greater public.
him talk for four to five minutes. So when the RCMP Winnipeg head- And it’s emphasized that service should
The advantage to this, Merrill says, is quarters renovated their fitness facilities, be provided by human beings, not uniforms.
that building these relationships ensures the Cst. Miles Hiebert took the opportunity “I think it’s important for us to show
RCMP have direct lines of communication to highlight the hard work some members how difficult the job is,” says Sgt. Tim Tani-
with the public. were doing to slim down by setting up an guchi. “I think we’ve failed to tell our story
“It’s live and you can’t be edited, you interview between the commanding officer, to the public in a way that they can relate to.
can’t be misinterpreted and your words can’t A/Commr. Bill Robinson, and a Winnipeg We encourage people to use that humaniz-
be misconstrued,” says Merrill. “It’s a very Free Press reporter. ing talk and to not write news releases like
powerful way of getting our message out “For the commanding officer of our di- police reports, but to write them as stories
in just a few short minutes. It’s a chance to vision to talk about his personal weight loss that someone’s grandmother could under-
say, here we are, here’s what we’re doing to and exercise regime, it just shows that he’s a stand.”
combat crime so you can all feel safe in your regular person and facing the same challeng-
homes and on the highways.” es as everyone else,” says Hiebert. PARALLEL PATHS
COVER
Similarly, Sgt. Andrew Blackadar, the Exposing the person beneath the uni- But none of this change is possible with-
media relations officer for Prince Edward Is- form can be a challenge; many officers are out the support of senior management and
land, says that because they are such a small reluctant to open up about personal matters front-line investigators. To reap the rewards,
island it’s easier to build those familiar rela- and diverge from the facts. Dawson says police officers have to take these
tionships and to feel like you’re working to- But two of Alberta’s media relations of- risks and think outside of the box.
wards a common goal. ficers, Sgt. Patrick Webb and Sgt. Tim Tani- And it’s crucial that both sides have a
Blackadar gives the example of when a guchi, are attempting to empower members certain amount of understanding and empa-
police vehicle pulled over a car full of young with the tools to feel confident enough to thy for one another. At the end of the day,
adults going well over the speed limit. But do this from the detachment level. They re- when working cordially together, both par-
because the officer didn’t have any tickets to cently started holding three-day workshops, ties can better accomplish their goals.
give them, he let the car off with a warning. offering officers media relations 101 and the “It’s about changing attitudes,” says
A couple of hours later, they were involved opportunity to interact with and tour media Dawson. “I wish every member could sit in
in an accident in which two of the five pas- outlets. my chair and deal with the media on a day-
sengers died. On the final day, members participated to-day basis because we have more in com-
MEDIA
A journalist found out that the car in a mock news conference with real journal- mon with them than they think. We can’t be
had been pulled over and called Blackadar ists and the media relations officers to get afraid to let the public in and the media is a
about why they weren’t issued a ticket. He comfortable with the kinds of questions vari- great way of reaching them.”
explained over the phone and the reporter
asked him if he would be willing to explain
on camera. SMOKING OUT
Blackadar agreed and after making his MARIJUANA GROW
statement, he added that even if the driver
had been issued a ticket, there’s no saying for OPERATIONS
sure that they would have stopped speeding. Former RCMP Commissioner William
And he also noted that P.E.I. didn’t J.S. Elliott announces the launch of the
have laws like they do in Ontario that allow Marihuana Grow Initiative at a press
police to seize a vehicle going well over the conference last fall. The MGI, which
limit. complements the Government of Canada’s
Within a year of the story, a law similar
RCMP
National Anti-Drug Strategy, represents
to the one in Ontario was enacted in P.E.I. the RCMP’s renewed commitment to
“When you don’t get up to talk, the first fight marijuana production controlled by to inform the Canadian public about the
thing the public is going to think is that the organized crime groups. Based on three consequences, inherent hazards and
police are hiding something,” says Blackadar. key components — awareness, deterrence destructive impacts these activities and
“If you get up and say, yes, there was a prob- and enforcement — the strategy outlines criminal groups have on their communities.
lem and we have learned from it and we’re go- how the RCMP will work with partners For more information, visit www.rcmp-
ing to improve the situation from here, that’s and community members. It also aims grc.gc.ca.
what the public wants to see.”
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 11
12. PANEL DISCUSSION
WHAT IS THE IDEAL RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN POLICE AND THE MEDIA?
MEDIA
COVER
The complexities of the police-media
relationship mean there will be
tensions. But those strains should be
RCMP
seen as a healthy sign.
THE PANELISTS
h Insp. Marc Richer, director, RCMP national media relations
h Jim Bronskill, Ottawa bureau reporter, Canadian Press
h Daniel Brien, Public Prosecution Service of Canada
INSP. MARC RICHER environment, with 24-hour, minute-by-min- these deadlines. The complexities of a large
The key in an operational policing ute reporting, thanks to the web and social police organization require many specialists
environment is to feed the media with media. in a multitude of fields.
information. The media can then inform One thing that should be understood is When the media call, we often have to
the public with information about how if the media is onto a story, they have more consult subject matter experts who are not
police are making communities safer. sources than police do. From a media rela- necessarily sitting at their desks. They are in
At the national level, it is about re- tions perspective, this is a significant chal- fact busy working at their specialties, which
sponding to questions of all types, mostly lenge. Police and media simply do not play by means that they are not there to respond
about policies and senior managers and the the same rules. Although the public is served within the very short timelines imposed by
decisions they make. by both, it is for very different reasons. the media. The RCMP’s media relations of-
The media scene has evolved from re- Try as we may, in the world of polic- ficers explain this to reporters. While many
porters being invited to hear our stories, to ing, and with the policies that make for that understand, others do not.
what has become an extremely competitive world to run, it is not always possible to meet News reporting appears to have also
12 Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011
13. PANEL DISCUSSION
changed dramatically, in that it is no lon- Crime fiction is a popular staple of the primary responsibility is to the cases it pros-
ger about fact checking and reporting. This television schedule and national bestseller ecutes. The PPSC is mandated to prosecute
seems to have lost its importance in favour of lists. In turn, true crime stories will always cases under federal law in a manner that is
getting a “story” out. be news. fair, impartial and objective, and free from
Reporters are calling us and despite the In discussing cases with reporters, po- any improper influence.
information or explanation we give, they lice must careful to preserve the integrity The RCMP Operations Manual and the
may slant it to suit their objectives. The prob- of investigations. Revealing too much could PPSC policy manual both cover communi-
lem is that our credibility is often challenged jeopardize a probe. Saying the wrong thing cations with the media and provide direction
as a result, leaving us with little option to re- might ruin a reputation. on maintaining that balance.
spond or to correct the misinformation. At the same time, journalists — how- Today, police and prosecutors have to
They certainly know it, but media ever eager to gather details of a high-profile worry about media coverage of steps that
should remember that police in Canada have case — must avoid the same pitfalls. largely unreported even a few years ago: the
plenty of scrutiny, such as various levels of su- Reporters should also be mindful of period after a charge has been sworn, but be-
pervision, crown prosecutors and the courts. their role: they are not investigative arms of fore an accused is arrested; when a person of
Although everything in society today the police, but proxies of the public. interest becomes a suspect; when a file has
seems to be at increasingly faster speeds, I Canadian Press guidelines say there is been referred to the Crown for charge ap-
would suggest that patience and understand- generally no objection to providing police proval; an upcoming search once a warrant is
ing of what police do is paramount to a bet- copies of stories and photos that have been signed but before it is executed.
ter story. published. When a case is being prepared, PPSC
If journalists want to get the best, most But reporters should not give police ac- spokespersons regularly acknowledge to re-
COVER
accurate information, I suggest that they cess to notes, unpublished video, background porters that the position of the Crown is,
must listen to our advice, and learn to wait. files, emails and other material related to on- indeed, a matter of public record, but that
We will do our best to identify the best per- going stories or confidential matters. it will rightly be expressed before a court of
son so the reporter can get the information Media must also resist publishing stra- law before it is debated by the court of public
first hand from a knowledgeable source. tegic leaks from police that might be unfair opinion.
It is this respect for the police process or inflammatory. Participants in the criminal justice sys-
and profession that will not only allow for a It is important that police respect these tem have to be careful that post-arrest media
cordial relationship between media and po- boundaries, too, and deal fairly with report- availabilities aimed at informing the public
lice, but will ensure that the public — their ers. don’t become victory parades that risk jeop-
audience and the ones we serve and protect Once police reveal an investigation is ardizing a trial or becoming the subject of
— is best informed. under way, they have an obligation to pro- litigation.
vide updates and close the loop when the Post-arrest news conferences may ap-
JIM BRONSKILL probe is complete by means of a public an- pear to show the payoff of a long investiga-
The relationship between journalists and nouncement. tion through arrests or seized goods, but
MEDIA
the police is a delicate one — a dance in The complexities of the police-media re- must be conducted with care to protect the
which each party moves gingerly, trying to lationship mean there will be tensions. But integrity of the criminal justice system.
avoid stepping on the other’s toes. those strains should be seen as a healthy sign, In fact, improper post-arrest publicity
It is a symbiotic relationship in that the because while cops and reporters need one can harm the jury selection process, can be
police and journalists need each other. another, they have different jobs to do. the subject of a judge’s instructions to a jury
But each has a clearly defined role or can suggest over-zealousness on the part
guided by in-house policies, ethical consider- DANIEL BRIEN of authorities.
ations and time-tested practices. We live and work in a media culture where The line is not always clear. How much
The police disseminate information to the notion of a news cycle has been eclipsed can investigators divulge about cases they are
further investigations, warn citizens of sud- by an environment that provides news and investigating? How much can arresting offi-
den dangers and educate the public about opinion in a constant stream of blogs, up- cers say about the evidence when they display
how to stay safe. dates, tweets and posts directly to the per- seized goods following an arrest?
In the Internet age, there are now more sonal devices we carry. Nobody can realistically expect the ten-
ways than ever for law-enforcement agencies For prosecutors and police, this evolu- sion between reporters and the law to dis-
to accomplish these goals. But police still de- tion increases visibility and public awareness, appear anytime soon. A competitive media
pend on the media to quickly reach a large but also comes with risks to the very process environment and the need for police and
segment of the public. we seek to protect. We have to achieve a bal- prosecutors to operate in an open and ac-
Journalists are citizens, too. So they ance between the equally enshrined and countable manner will ensure both sides re-
have an interest in informing the public and sometimes competing goals of aggressive me- main in regular contact.
giving people the information they need to dia and those who protect due process. By continuing to seek a balance, we can
be responsible members of the community. The Public Prosecution Service of Can- continue to enjoy an effective and account-
Reporters also like a good story. That’s ada has a legislated responsibility to commu- able justice system in an open and accessible
because the public wants them. nicate with the media and the public, but its media environment.
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 13
14. EXTERNAL SUBMISSION
TREASURE TROVE
DATA MINING THE INTERNET AND SOCIAL MEDIA
By Special Agent Mike Keleher, United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
Criminals started incorporating the Inter- described as similar to dragging a net across from sources not routinely viewed or even
net in their crimes about 10 minutes after the surface of the ocean. Some fish, or data considered.
the Internet was born. Law enforcement has bits, will be caught up, but the net does not
always been slow to reap technological ad- extend to the bottom of the ocean and does SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCHES
vances or keep pace with popular computer not scoop up all available info. As of May 2011, Facebook listed more than
trends. But is there something a non-com- The entire content of the information 500 million users. In July 2011, they listed
puter enthusiast investigator can use to get ocean has been called the deep web and 750 million active users who post photos,
more thorough information via the Internet? may contain 500 times the amount of infor- videos and personal data for themselves and
While there are problems with tradi- mation we see in a normal Internet search. their friends. Half of their users visit daily.
tional web searches, there are simple ways Investigators have long suspected there was In 2009, Cox Communications, a Unit-
to data mine information. There is also the more out there, but had no idea how to ed States digital cable television, telecommu-
deeper web, which is an abyss containing plumb the deep and go beyond even Dogpile nications and wireless services company, cit-
information you always suspected was being searches. ed that 72 per cent of young adults between
collected somewhere but you could not find. the ages of 18 and 29 participated in social
Combining deep web searches with DEEP WEB SEARCHES media sites. Imagine the number today. This
MEDIA
reams of personal data being voluntarily Investigators should look at Pipl.com and is the same age group that commits a dispro-
posted on-line via social websites can lead to Spokeo.com, both people search engines, to portional amount of crime.
huge amounts of information on suspects, trove the deep web. A July 27, 2011 story in the The Exam-
victims and witnesses, their lives, habits and Searching a suspect’s name with a popu- iner, a Washington, D.C., newspaper, report-
connections. lar search engine might find a name with ed that the young members of violent gangs
matches all across North America. are using Twitter and Facebook to plan their
POPULAR INTERNET SEARCHES A Pipl.com search will bring back the crimes online. Not really a surprise is it?
This may or may not be a surprise, but nor- name, multiple spellings, alias and nick- How many crimes have the media re-
mal Internet searches used every day by both names, address, past addresses, age, phone ported on after they were posted to You-
investigators and the public are much less ef- numbers, maps, background reports, school Tube? Law enforcement has grudgingly been
ficient than you might believe they are. Cou- classmates, professional and business con- forced to incorporate social media into new
ple this with lack of understanding about tacts, email addresses, social media profiles, investigations. Are there good ways to data
social media or how to search social media, such as Facebook listings, photos, videos, mine that information without having to be-
and law enforcement is operating at an un- archived genealogy information, and news come a cyber-geek? Absolutely. If any North
COVER
perceived disadvantage. articles which mention that person. American teen can operate in that realm, po-
The advanced search engine Dogpile It also throws in Internet user names lice can, too.
explains how users believe a single search en- and profiles that are frequently used with Deep web searches can locate social
gine will bring back the best and all related Internet-based shopping. The amount of media profiles for investigators. Some social
information from the web. publicly viewable and free information these media sites require the viewer to have an ac-
In truth, each engine searches differ- searches can dredge up is nothing short of count, profile or email address before allow-
ently and brings back different products amazing. Disbelievers need only enter their ing access. However, investigators can create
and lists them in different ways. Dogpile own name, phone or email address into the profiles and free unverified email accounts
cites several studies using three and four of Pipl.com search engine to see the results. via Yahoo Mail, Gmail or Hotmail to gain
the most popular Spokeo.com access to a subject’s profile.
search engines such brings back similar Facebook users who do have privacy
IF ANY NORTH AMERICAN TEEN
as Google, Yahoo!, results, including blocks in place, for example, may still ac-
CAN OPERATE IN THAT REALM,
Bing and Ask Jeeves name, age, address, cept friend requests from complete strangers
POLICE CAN, TOO.
to search a subject. email addresses, to build their social status. It is a disturbing
In one study gender, photos, trend among users who readily accept invita-
with 12,000 searches, only 1.1 per cent of the videos, hobbies, economic health, estimated tions from strangers to boost their number
first page search returns were cited by all four wealth, family household makeup, property of friends and pseudo-popularity.
engines. Different engine, different results. details, maps, estimated value of property, Once a friend is accepted, they can view
Dogpile now searches the top three politics, religion, education and occupation, everything on the site. Indirect approaches
engines — Google, Yahoo! and Bing — at family tree and neighborhood information, may also work by first linking to friends of
once and combines the results to give a much as well as blog posts and a review of 86 so- the target to establish the new user as trust-
more useable and thorough user product. cial media sites. All of the information is worthy. The computer profile will then show
Normal Internet searches have been publicly available, but the aggregator pulls friends in common and may make users feel
14 Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011
15. EXTERNAL SUBMISSION
COVER
Combining deep web searches with reams of personal data being voluntarily posted on-line via social websites can lead to huge amounts of information on suspects, victims and
witnesses, their lives, habits and connections.
the stranger is safer to interact with. It turns out that each digital camera has users are sharing their cyber life with the on-
Another exploitable backdoor the smart its own fingerprint beyond make and model line world at an unprecedented rate.
phone generation is seemingly unaware of is or GPS embedded in photos. Look for this
the global positioning system (GPS) or ex- to be a developing forensic technique to link CONCLUSION
MEDIA
changeable image file format (EXIF) data photos to cameras and then to users. Even though it is not old-school police pro-
imbedded in smart phone images. Phones This leads to Facebook, Foursquare and cedure, investigators cannot overlook the
come from the factory with this as a default other sites which have check-in functions deep web and social media as investigative
setting in place. where users can manually or automatically tools. Even the RCMP and FBI have Face-
If users are even aware of the function, register where they are, or have been. book and Twitter sites.
they must manually switch it off to avoid This information is uploaded instantly Social media contacts, postings, pic-
pinning the data to the photos. Photos post- to their web pages. Anyone with access to tures, videos, texts and tweets have become,
ed to Twitter arrive with the data intact. the page can see the locations. Foursquare, in effect, another language used by most of
Using the web browser Google Chrome which now has more than six million users, the 18-to-29-year-old segment of society. The
or other EXIF photo editor/viewers allow grew 3,400 per cent in 2010 and exists only fact that older investigators feel they don’t
investigators to see the date and time a photo to track people’s movements with check-ins. speak that language or care to learn is a huge
was taken and along with GPS coordinates These are unbelievable resources to track handicap.
where it was taken. criminal behavior patterns or even near live- Criminals are freely posting their infor-
Another click to Google Maps will time movement. mation for anyone to see. So let’s be friends
show the actual 360-degree panorama view The hugely popular Twitter, with more and take advantage of this bounty that is oh-
of that location. How valuable would that be than 175 million users, is also exploitable. so-carefully posted by the subscribers.
to a police investigation? Twitter postings are public by default. Any-
In 2011, The Federal Bureau of Investi- one can view them even without an account. Mike Keleher is currently the Division Chief of
gation (FBI) lab in Quantico, Virginia, has Short 140-character entries, commenting on Criminal Investigations, Violent Crime and
begun using United States Air Force-devel- daily events and thoughts, are made by mil- Cold Case Homicide at NCIS Headquarters,
oped software called FindCamera to locate lions throughout the world. Quantico, Virginia. He has served as a Special
unique algorithms stamped into digital pic- Think of them as mini-blogs. Coupled Agent for more than 24 years, and is a former
ture data. with check-ins, uploaded photos or videos, criminal prosecutor.
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 15
16. EXTERNAL SUBMISSION
MEDIA
COVER
The Clapham Junction area of south London on Aug. 9, 2011, after a third night of rioting and looting.
PUBLIC ORDER IN A CONNECTED WORLD
LEARNING FROM THE LONDON AND VANCOUVER RIOTS
By Lauri Stevens
As if law officers don’t have enough to think couple Canadian cities, teenagers have been some with the Blackberry smartphone’s pri-
about, in comes social media. Never before using social networks, mostly Twitter, to vate instant text-messaging system.
have police service agencies been faced with a organize flash robs — the quick en masse Following the riots, Prime Minister
situation where the new recruits know more looting of stores and sometimes beating of David Cameron and the then interim Met-
than the commanders about an issue that is innocent bystanders. ropolitan Police Service Commissioner Tim
increasingly affecting how police officers do Because these are over as quickly as they Godwin, both issued statements calling for
their jobs. begin, police are left to resort to old-fash- control over social networks in the future.
And just when some agencies are start- ioned arrest and prosecute methods but also In the wake of such statements, the
ing to get their heads around the use of social to seek ways to monitor social media to try to UK government has been widely criticized
media for community outreach and investi- catch them before or, at least, as they happen. for its handling of the riots and, according
gations, the criminal element is using social Last summer in the United Kingdom, to The Guardian national daily newspaper,
media to organize sudden large-scale events in reaction to the police shooting death of some in government say Godwin’s personal
— not only catching law enforcement by sur- Mark Duggan, a known gangster in the handling of riots severely negatively affected
prise, but also causing some police executives North London borough of Tottenham, sev- his chance to have been named as the perma-
to overreact. eral days’ worth of rioting ensued. Some of nent commissioner. That position went to
In many American cities and at least a it was organized through social media and Bernard Hogan-Howe.
16 Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011
17. EXTERNAL SUBMISSION
NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT screens and then issuing instructions to oth- literally handed to them by citizen activists
Godwin’s and Cameron’s seeming inabil- ers. But that doesn’t mean we should be call- who wanted the people who pillaged their
ity to understand social media’s effect, both ing for them (social networks) to be turned city caught and prosecuted.
negative and positive, on maintaining public off,” says Payne. “It does mean that we need Contrary to debating about the shut-
order might be attributable to their lack of to understand how it works, and get better ting down of social networks, the question
use of the new communication technologies. at using it.” in Vancouver is over the mass surveillance
In fact, while there seems to be a short- Payne has spent the last two to three implications of the use of facial recognition
age of law enforcement leaders within Lon- years building a relationship with the people technology offered to law enforcement by
don who use and understand social media, in his jurisdiction and has gained more than the Insurance Commission of British Co-
there are several senior law enforcement ex- 7,000 followers on Twitter as a result. lumbia to identify the people in the collected
ecutives in the rest of the country who use Both police executives stress the impor- images.
it well, on a daily basis, and have for several tance of the ability to manage rumor during With no policy or procedure in exis-
years. large-scale events. tence or in place to handle the new database
These are the same law officers who “One thing that we have seen over and created by such an action, privacy experts are
point out that to understand the benefits of over again during emergency situations is pushing back against the move.
social media, one must use it. that where there is no information coming
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Hyde from the authorities, the gap will be plugged NO DEBATE ABOUT IT
of Cumbria is one of those leaders. by speculation,” says Payne. In both London and Vancouver, the one
“It’s not a spectator sport,” he says. “If Hyde agrees. thing no one is debating is the degree to
you’re not using it and putting stuff out and “But you can’t have it unless you’re on the which social media was used to affect posi-
COVER
engaging and having an odd debate about pitch. It’s the collective power of it, not just tive change in the wake of both riots.
something, then what you end up with is an the responsibility of a Twitter squad,” he Within a short time of both inci-
inability to engage.” says, referring to the need to have more than dents, thousands of citizens were organized
Hyde has been using Twitter, in par- just the communications officers involved. through Facebook and Twitter. In Vancou-
ticular, for a couple years and is regularly Both men are involved in ongoing talks ver, many of the more than 11,000 volun-
seen engaging with other officers as well as with the U.K. Home Office, the lead govern- teers donned Canucks gear to show that the
citizens. ment department for police, as they debate criminal actions of a few didn’t represent
While the rioting didn’t affect his ju- the path forward. true Canucks fans.
risdiction, he appreciates the lessons learned In London, Facebook and Twitter are
better than most. CANADIAN EXPERIENCE credited as well with the organization of
“Some of the best lessons learned are Vancouver Police (VPD) had a more positive thousands of volunteers to clean up the capi-
from the forces who didn’t have disorder riotous experience in the wake of the Van- tol city.
but had lots of rumor,” he says, pointing to couver Canucks loss to the Boston Bruins As BBC News reported, pride in
Staffordshire Police who had no disorder but in the National Hockey League Stanley Cup community and emotions ran high and
MEDIA
used Twitter to very quickly “stop the non- finals in June. the cleaner-uppers, armed with brooms,
sense” that was happening. “I’m so glad we were already there on marched through the city on their way to af-
Twitter when this happened,” says VPD Cst. fected areas.
BUILD A FOLLOWING BEFOREHAND Anne Longley, a public information officer. The Twitter account @Riotcleanup
The law enforcement commanders who use With 8,000 followers on Twitter at the in the U.K. has more than 73,000 follow-
social media know start of the playoff ers and is still active in a fundraising effort
that to benefit from series, the VPD for London shopkeepers who suffered losses
these technologies ONE THING THAT WE HAVE was already adept during the riots.
during times of cri- SEEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN at manoeuvering For Hyde it’s about ongoing learning,
sis, one must build a DURING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS social media. But and more time is needed for everyone to
following and cul- IS THAT WHERE THERE IS NO at the end of the reach a comfort level.
tivate relationships
INFORMATION COMING FROM THE playoffs, they had “We’re all still in the learning zone and
AUTHORITIES, THE GAP WILL BE
with their follow- more than 16,000 we need to appreciate that.”
PLUGGED BY SPECULATION.
ing before the crisis followers and most
hits. of them were fans Lauri Stevens, an interactive media profes-
Supt. Mark Payne of West Midlands in the true sense of the word. sional with more than 25 years of media ex-
Police was a very early adopter of Twitter. VPD was largely commended by gov- perience, is the founder of and principal con-
Payne was on the streets of Wolverhampton, ernment and citizens alike for its handling sultant with LAwS Communications, which
a borough in the West Midlands of England, of the riots both with and without social helps police implement interactive media
when rioting took place. He says he has no media. technologies. She is the creator of the Con-
doubt that social media played a role in orga- In fact, one of the biggest challenges nectedCOPS.net blog and the Social Media
nizing the riots. it has had to deal with is the overwhelming the Internet and Law Enforcement (SMILE)
“Offenders were clearly consulting their amount of photographic and video evidence conference.
Gazette Vol. 73, No. 3, 2011 17
