Police work is often dark and depressing, but if LEOs know one thing, it’s that enforcing the law also has its lighter side. For affirmation, look no further than the recent story about the arrest of a pair who reportedly approached an officer in the police department’s parking lot and requested he sell them some drugs. The doubtless bemused officer says he agreed and, when the men told him they needed to withdraw some cash from an ATM, he guided them inside the agency to use the ATM in the lobby. The arresting officer now has one of those great stranger-than-fiction stories we all love to hear.
One of my local favorites involves a bank robbery in which the suspect wore a bag over his head during the hold-up. Cars immediately began searching the area. Two Traffic Division supervisors happened to be in the vicinity when they spotted the suspect. What gave him away? He was running down the street with the bag still on his head.
Helping people who need it, peacefully settling disputes without anyone going to jail, fostering a sense of solidarity with citizens, protecting the community, taking bad guys off the streets—these are the things we relish most about our careers.
But what grabs both us and the public are the hilarious, oddball and generally weird stuff LEOs encounter on a daily basis. And guess what? That humor can be a very useful tool when it comes to engagement with the public.
Agencies increasingly turn to the universal language of humor to build new bridges and mend old ones. Specifically, they are using social media to do so. Here are a few examples of how the Greater Manchester (England) Police combine Twitter and humor:
Ex.1: Amongst animal welfare protestors today was a Batman. He’s apparently just left the city on a bus, so might not be the actual, real Batman.
Ex. 2: …half naked and rather large drunk man threatening to bite people in the Village. Officers on their way
Ex. 3: ...to clarify, we think it’s the top half that’s (sic) naked, so ‘rather large’ refers to torso rather than anything bottom half
Now, we’ve all seen the videos of officers lip-syncing and dancing, or creating funny videos to get people to use their turn signals. These types of campaigns have helped lower the tension between agencies and residents of their communities. As a result, LEOs are applying humor and social media to other purposes. For example, the Miami police launched a new PSA encouraging residents to lock their cars. In a funny online video, an officer explains that it’s called The KRAPPY System, “Keeping Robbers Away and Protecting Property with a Yeti,” and features a Yeti (an officer in a furry white costume). The video has been shared more than 1,300 times since the end of June.
Laughter acts as good PR, a great teaching tool and a way to bond with the community. All it takes is a little innovation and a willingness to poke fun at yourself. Remember, there’s a reason the funny stories remain with us. Use humor to build bridges. It works wonders and the price is always right.
