The following is paid sponsored content by Cop PRotect.
By Police1 BrandFocus Staff
We’ve all heard about online reputation management, but what’s a cop to do when a call goes sideways – especially if it’s captured on camera? As Dr. Booker Hodges writes, “Everyone has a smart phone with a camera ready and waiting to film ‘police action,’” so it’s necessary to think ahead. In today’s climate of suspicion, it’s important to be prepared to defend your reputation.
That’s where Compass Check Consulting Services comes in with its Cop PRotect public relations and reputation management service. Think of it as an insurance policy for your name and your career.
What is Cop PRotect?
Cop PRotect is a reputation defense and public relations service for individual police officers. When you subscribe to Cop PRotect you are asked to share important information about your merits, experience and community relationships – before anything happens – in order for the Cop PRotect team to prepare and deliver an independent response should you find yourself in the media’s line of fire.
Building on the media savvy of the firm’s founder, experienced journalist Robert Parry, the Cop PRotect team uses the information you provide through its secure website to prepare a ready-to-go narrative that tells your story of community service. This defensive measure is completed long before an incident happens in order to provide an immediate response on your behalf. The $50 annual subscription includes eight hours of media relations, reputation defense and social media services in a critical media incident. (Additional hours are billed at a 50 percent discount).
All Cop PRotect subscribers receive a thorough user’s guide that covers the tools needed to organize a defense and provides advice on what to do to solidify your reputation now, in case you must defend it later. The service also provides advice on ways to minimize exposure in case of a media incident and keeps subscribers advised on the changing realities of the media landscape with weekly updates on the latest coverage of law enforcement.
What doesn’t Cop PRotect cover?
Cop PRotect does not provide services to officers who subscribe after an incident. That’s like buying body armor after the first shot of a gun fight – it’s too late, and permanent damage may already be done. Cop PRotect is focused on helping individual officers prepare a public relations and reputation defense before it is needed and relies on the subscriber’s participation.
If an incident requires that your reputation be defended, the Cop PRotect team uses the facts, pictures, endorsements and personal information you’ve already submitted to illustrate the real you to the world. And because it’s prepared and distributed by a third party, your defense is ready to be shared – even if you are prohibited from speaking for yourself by your department or a court with a “gag order.”
What if I’m prohibited from speaking by a gag order?
Because the Cop PRotect team is actively monitoring the media for the names of its subscribers, they will be aware if you are involved in an incident and take action. In the event you are caught in the spotlight, the Cop PRotect team will work quickly to safeguard your reputation using the information you’ve already provided. This ensures that your reputation is defended without having to take actions that might violate orders from your agency or a court.
Reputation management is a hot topic in any profession, but it’s especially important for cops. Dave Blake, an instructor with the California Training Institute, Air Force veteran and former SWAT officer says Cop PRotect is “probably the best thing you could ever do in regards to professional survival.”
With Cop PRotect, you gain peace of mind and built-in tools ready to defend your reputation – long before you need them.
For more information about reputation management, contact Cop PRotect.