The Denver Police Department is suffering some image problems. To be fair, most police department do. But recent allegations of excessive force and more than a few people wondering if it's the police or the gangs that control downtown after dark has DPD taking their message to YouTube. Watch the clip here.
Personally and professionally, this isn't how I'd do such a video. It comes across like a movie trailer for a Bruce Willis film. Far too theatrical. They lost me at the slo-mo jump over the garbage can.
In a report about it by 9NEWS, DPD Detective John White said "It was one of the things that we wanted to do to kind of illustrate, show our community; this is what your police department does, these are the types of perils that your officers put themselves in to keep you safe."
The video cost $2,000 to produce, paid for by the Denver Police Foundation.
Being a cop is a dangerous job. I can only imagine the emotion and adrenalin flow when chasing a bad guy. We need police to do just that. The job after all, is to protect and serve.
But this video doesn't serve the goal of educating us about what they do. A better option would be a direct message from real officers about the realities of what they face each day, and why they choose to do it. The focus should be less on special effects, and more on message. We'd all be better served.
Like all such efforts, it's designed to start the conversation. In this case, I'm not sure DPD will be happy with the conversation they started.
Brian Olson
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"
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