California Police Chief- Fall 2013 | Page 29

Some of our ideas included; advertising via social media, having it mentioned at a City Council meeting and posting flyers at local parks, and specifically the city designated Dog Park. • We purchased plastic dog bone shaped waste bags with all of our contact information printed on the outside. It helped to have a handout which would not be thrown in the trash after the meeting. The investment was worth it. • Your local meeting will be attended by residents and people who do business in the community (professional dog walkers). Be prepared to have this cross-section and anticipate differing questions from each group. Also have your Press Information Officer prepared to answer the same question. Stories involving animals and the community tend to get a lot of public interest. • One you have the initial kick-off meeting, keep the program going! There will be lots of energy and the participants are going to speak with their neighbors about it. There is going to be a strong desire from the community to have another one in quick succession. • If you live in an area impacted by coyotes and other wildlife, be prepared to answer a lot of animal type questions and teach your community on how to protect their pets. In Laguna Beach, we were asked questions about coyotes, bobcats, snakes and sea lions (all in the same meeting). Animal Services Officers are located within the police department, so we had an Animal Services Officer on hand to intelligently answer broader questions related to wildlife. • We found that the meetings involving Dog Walker Watch were less structured than the other neighborhood presentations because people love their pets and children. Get prepared to deviate from your presentation to answer questions about threats to either one. Technology has changed our lives, and it can be a struggle to get back to those face-to-face conversations with the local community when everyone is staring at their phone for instant information. In the age of soundbites, we have discovered that these two programs have helped us keep the face-to-face lines of communication open and strong. ■ SPRING 2016 | California Police Chief 29