Managing Critical Incidents for a Statewide Law Enforcement Agency

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The GBI public affairs office consists of a two-woman team handling media relations and legislative affairs for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the criminal investigative agency for the state. The summer of 2020 proved to be the busiest and most challenging yet: In May 2020, a cellphone video from a South Georgia incident that occurred in February went viral, leading to demonstrations and inquiries from the media and the public from around the world. Later that month, events in Minneapolis sparked civil unrest worldwide, including Georgia. During the height of these protests, another incident occurred in Atlanta that led to even further unrest…all during a global pandemic.

This presentation will illustrate how a small communications team can utilize multiple social media platforms to message to a worldwide audience. Mrs. Miles will also emphasize the importance of communicating on a daily basis during the height of a national event. The significance of a good command staff structure will also be illustrated, as well as how social listening and affordable communications tools come into play.