Video Q&A with Oakland Police Department: Nixle for Community Engagement

Law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to keep residents safe and informed, especially in time of emergency.  The Oakland Police Department is one agency leading the charge in emergency resident communications and community engagement. 

We recently sat down with Lieutenant Chris Bolton, a 16 year veteran of the Oakland PD and a strong advocate for law enforcement social media.  Lt. Bolton brought us through the information sharing challenges and the opportunities that police departments are faced with in the digital age.  He also gave us a glimpse into how the Oakland PD uses Nixle to communicate in real-time with community members to avoid confusion and alleviate fear.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the highlights, including Lt. Bolton’s insight into the importance of incident alerts and advisories, and how law enforcement agencies should push themselves to share as much information with their community as possible. 

Listen as Lieutenant Bolton explains the need for law enforcement’s primary method of public information distribution to match the speed at which residents demand it:

In specific examples, Lt. Bolton discussed the use of Nixle for crisis communication and social media sharing.

Finally, Lt. Bolton urges law enforcement to find a balance when it comes to sharing information with the public – reveal as much as possible without compromising investigations or overwhelming residents.

Click here to see Chris’s full presentation and learn more about how the Oakland Police Department used Nixle for community engagement during several crisis situations to ensure resident safety.