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The call for an LAPD blog
Sean over at Blogging.la has called for the Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department to start blogging, a la the LAFD. We agree with Sean: a little openness goes a long way, and the fire department's is an ideal model. Blogs all around!
It would do both organizations good to start communicating online. Part of the problem may be organizational: at the LAPD, it looks like the Media Relations team focuses on TV, print and radio news; Community Relations is a separate department entirely. Is a blog for civilians or the media? Which department would run it? We suggest instead of fighting, they try recruiting someone who's already blogging about the LAPD and have them report to both departments.
Since Sean has already offered to set up the blog (and Eric Garcetti seems ready to get him hooked up with Chief Bratton), we volunteer to help with the copy editing. Take a look at the image above, borrowed from the LAPD website. We recommend they don't put the slogan in quotes. It reads like they don't really mean it.
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