Each month a unique group of individuals come together in one room and make crucial things happen for our community. If you have ever wondered how the news really works this room will reveal a huge part of the process. This program started three years ago and is lead by Broward County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer, Mike Jachles.
Jachles started the coalition to help strengthen relationships between law enforcement entities and the media. Everyone is encouraged to participate and share their opinion, however rash or controversial it may be. It is an open forum, “off-the-cuff,” style meeting that challenges recent issues. The meeting also provides ongoing training for PIOs and encourages the attendance of multiple disciplines throughout Broward, Dade, Palm Beach and Monroe County. It also is a great setting for networking, bringing a collection of influential and vital community service agents together.
This month’s meeting had its share of interesting conversation. Jachles puts together a presentation each meeting that tackles the latest media to law enforcement issues, viral videos and hot topics. Discussion covered: take home Police and Fire Department cars, Key Biscayne firefighters tennis story, social media influence on news, PIO contact protocol and the new Regional Domestic Security Task Force Joint Information Center or JIC truck.
A topic that struck a nerve with the room was the PIO contact protocol. The relationship between the PIOs and the media is vital to ensure that accurate and important news is delivered to the community. It is a responsibility of the PIO to represent their agency and deliver the information to the public. A recent incident was discussed in length and the media and officers expressed their concerns, frustrations and suggestions. One of the main issues of communication between the media and law enforcement is the timing and quality of information. It can be counter productive and disastrous at times to provide incomplete information to the media, however; because of the on demand needs of the community, there is a lot of pressure on the media to distribute news much faster than in the past.
The group also had a very special attendee this month by Broward County Sheriff Al Lamberti. Lamberti congratulated everyone on their work and expressed his appreciation for the strong relationship in South Florida between the media and law agencies. He also shared that he is now featured on a weekly show on WIOD News Radio 610 AM, Wednesdays at 8:30 AM, Eye on Crime. The show discusses current issues in the community. Some of the topics recently covered include Predictive Policing, a new technology that will help predict crime trends and Cops Behaving Badly. There have been several recent stories in Broward County concerning officers breaking conduct and abusing their authority. Lamberti expressed that he is saddened by this wave of incidents and the BSO conducts rigorous screening of their officers before they hire, unfortunately no one can predict human behavior. Another event that Lamberti
promoted was his “Coffee with the Sheriff” events. These events are family friendly community events around Broward county that provide free fingerprinting and DNA kits for kids and an opportunity to chat with the Sheriff and officers. They are at various locations such as: Publix, Target and the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood.
The South Florida Media Coalition is just one of the ways that our community service agents are working to bring accurate, journalistic and helpful information to the news. The communication amongst these members is positive and intuitive; certainly inspiring to know that our local media and law enforcement have such a genuine respect for their civic responsibility.
By: Joy Taylor
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