A Mississippi law enforcement agency recently posted a Facebook reel introducing Blake Dearman, who works in its maintenance department. The brief social post invited the public to “meet” Dearman and included the hashtags #lawenforcement and #Mississippi.
Maintenance departments in law enforcement agencies play a key support role, overseeing upkeep of facilities, vehicles and equipment that officers rely on to carry out operations safely and effectively. Agencies often depend on maintenance staff to keep communications systems, detention areas and response vehicles in working order.
By spotlighting a maintenance employee on social media, the agency is using public outreach to humanize its workforce and show the breadth of roles that support public safety beyond sworn officers. Such profiles can bolster community relations, highlight essential behind-the-scenes work and support recruitment for non-sworn positions.
The Facebook reel is an example of how law enforcement organizations use social platforms to engage with the community. We will provide more information as it becomes available.
