I saw an interesting story on the news today here in Jacksonville, FL. The story was relating to the website ratemycop.com, and its validity in the eyes of the resedents here in the city.

With a massive poll of 2 people, WJXT Jacksonville returned the results. Half of the 2 people said they would use the site as a means of both investigating a police officer, and as a way to contribute experiences. The other half of the 2 people stated that they would take any information on the site with a grain of salt.

This is a pretty interesting topic. There are plenty of resources on reputation management on social sites that allow for visitor input in regard to services, but how does a government agency handle this? Would the same methods apply? 2 points came to my mind during the story. The safety of the police officers on the site, and the impact on an officer’s reputation.

They Know Your Name
I wondered how listing an officer’s first and last name would affect their safety. The site owners stated that they are not listing anything that isn’t publically available, and the FOP stated that they will also be viewing the site for any serious threats, but I don’t really think that’s good enough. Besides, a visitor may leave comments anonymously, increasing the chance of poorer remarks. There’s a good number of violence offenses towards cops in this city as it is, a public record of negative instances that may not be accurate would only hurt the situation.

You Better Play The Part, Buster
Having a number of freinds in law enforcement, I can tell you that perception is a big deal. As an officer, you have to not only act fair and with integrity, it has to be obvious that you are doing so. Cops come under so much fire on a regular basis, that even seemingly irresponsible behavior can have an impact on their career, regardless of their actual character. Again, visitors are not required to leave a name. They are required to start an account, but we all know how easy it is to fake the stuff required. What’s to stop someone from leaving very negative and slandering testimonials about an officer?

The thing about this story that got to me is the point of the site, and our general view of police officers as a country. So many times I’ve had a conversation with a friend complaining that they got a ticket by some «stupid cop» for speeding. Normally, they were indeed speeding. «Well,» I ask, «don’t you think you deserved the ticket then?» I also get a little offended when people talk about how «mean» a cop was. To be honest, if I had to pull strangers over all day, wondering if the next angry 16-year-old punk has a gun, I wouldn’t be the most pleasant guy either.

Cut ’em some slack. And be mindful of the information you get on the Internet; it can be produced by anyone.

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