NEW ORLEANS – The NOPD’s proactive efforts to tell the department's story through an innovative social media campaign have led to recognition from local public relations professionals across the city. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans chapter presented the Public Affairs Division with the award for Outstanding Elements: Social Media for the department’s “Our Beat” blog at the 2016 Fleurish Awards Wednesday, Nov. 9. The recognition is the first-ever PRSA Award for the NOPD and the second received under NOPD Communications Director Tyler Gamble, who received the PRSA New Orleans Individual Award of Excellence in 2015.
The department launched “Our Beat” in March 2016 to provide the public with an inside look at department initiatives and to profile the hard-working officers who serve on the street every day. The NOPD expanded the effort in October with the launch of www.nopdnews.com, which serves as a 24/7 online source for news and information from and about the police department. The new site provides a more prominent platform for the NOPD to post important public safety information and surveillance videos as well as blogs covering positive news from inside the department and policing data. It is also the host for the NOPD’s new, interactive open data portal called MAX, links to open policing data and analysis, and Uniform Crime Reports.
In addition to the new website, the NOPD engages with the community every day using multiple social platforms including:
The NOPD hired civilian public relations professionals to work in the Public Affairs Division earlier this year as part of a larger effort to civilianize administrative positions across the department and put more officers on the street.
