Brookline Police in the News

Last summer Cambridge Police had an incident involving alleged racism, and quickly became a nationwide issue. The media swarmed on the topic and after a while, the Cambridge Police Department had the situation under control, at least as much as possible. In the end, one officer was fired and investigations continue.

In my last blog post, I spoke of the Boston Police Department's blog/website and how transparency keeps the Boston Police Department in control from stories. This transparency hides nothing from the media, thus there are no "dirty secrets" to dig up.

Now it is time to focus on the Brookline Police Department, most specifically an incident that occurred this past weekend and involved four off-duty officers, a exotic dancer and a "chaperone." To read the story, click here.

I did some information digging myself, starting with the Brookline Police Blog. There is no record of this, although there are detailed accounts of the other incidents reported or investigated the night of the incident. News stories are reporting that the off-duty police officers have been placed on paid-administrative leave. According to the Boston Globe, the dancer's chaperone "suffered a broken eye socket, broken nose, and a laceration on his left brow during the alleged attack..."

According to the Brookline TAB, Brookline Police Chief Dan O'Leary made his first statement yesterday, two days AFTER the incident. The union representing the Brookline Police has yet to make a statement. In other words, there is a severe lack of communication, which may tarnish the image of the Brookline Police Department.

From a public affairs and crisis communication standpoint, they are dragging this out and making the situation worse. Because they did not address Sunday morning's incident, and seem to be covering up details, it broadcasts that the Brookline Police Department is protecting their own, rather than the safety of their community.

The Brookline Police Department should take notes from the Boston Police Department: transparency is key. They should make public details of the incident, reassure the community, and begin rebuilding their reputation.

From a public affairs standpoint, what are your thoughts of how the Brookline Police Department has handled Sunday morning's incident?