Communications
The award-winning Media
Office represents the team that is
responsible for internal and external
communications. Team members
are assigned a variety of tasks in the
unit to compliment the department’s
strategic communication objectives.
From representing the department at
incident scenes with the news media
to proactively creating messaging to
keep citizens informed, the team works
hard to ensure that all citizens have
awareness and are engaged with the
police department.
The unit commander is Lt.
Christopher Cook, a veteran in the
communications arena and leader in
the Public Information Officer field.
The unit supervisor is Sgt. Michael
Chitty who is a recent addition to
the team. Sgt. Chitty oversees the
day-to-day operations. Officer Jesse
Minton is fluent in Spanish and assists
with internal communication products
and social media. Brenda Van Sickle
manages corporate publications. Tim
Ciesco manages video projects.
In 2019, the team made a renewed
focus on revitalizing monthly Inside
APD video productions which take an
inside look on department operations.
The unit launched an Instagram
account to connect with younger
audiences.
The team manages the
department’s website and assisted
with the city’s overhaul and revamped
website. In addition, the unit launched
a series of guidebooks to connect the
community with specific programs
of interest. These guidebooks can
be viewed and downloaded on the
website.
Social media affords the agency
the opportunity to connect directly
with residents in a contemporary and
relevant manner. The department
utilized Facebook and Instagram for
30
| 2019 Annual Report
storytelling and work being completed
by the organization. Twitter is primarily
being used to keep residents and
visitors informed on incidents.
In 2019, a viral post on Facebook
led to significant media exposure
1,641 Instagram Followers
127,123 Twitter Followers
115,211 Facebook Likes
81,215 Next Door Residents
YouTube Videos
Produced in 2019:
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YouTube Video
Views (all-time):
2,928,062
115,855
web visits
ArlingtonPD.org
98,368
web visits
Active Calls Listing
42,324
web visits
Public Reports