Government Technology - July 2008 - (Page 53)

Laying Down the Law In applying the YouTube model to law enforcement videos, one difference became clear early on: YouTube’s extreme openness — relying on users to police its content and flag inappropriate or copyright-violating videos — wouldn’t suit the content BLUtube would receive. Casual “community policing” wouldn’t fly among a community of actual police. There is plenty of public content on the site, but it’s just a fraction of the 1,200 videos uploaded since BLUtube launched last year. The rest is accessible for free, but only to members who’ve verified they are, in fact, law enforcement community members. That verification process requires everyone signing on with BLUtube and PoliceOne — the sites share a common membership — to enter a badge number and contact number for the agency that employs them. A member of PoliceOne’s staff calls and confirms the applicant is a sworn officer before granting access to the site. PoliceOne has already built a member registry of 220,000 officers, according to Dippell. In building the video platform, Dippell said it was important to maintain the privacy of that community, since video content might include sensitive police tactics. In many cases, everyone benefits when information is opened to a broader audience online. But when it comes to specific police tactics — knowledge that’s only effective when kept relatively private — information sharing requires a delicate balance of openness and discretion. The goal is to reach more law enforcement officials without reaching potential criminals. While BLUtube’s privacy wall helps keep sensitive content from leaking out, it also prevents certain comments from getting in. BLUtube’s typical viewer has a positive opinion of law enforcement, Dippell said, and won’t leave the provocative comments the YouTube melee feeds on. “There’s a certain kind of user for whom BLUtube serves as a kind of escape,” Dippell said. “Historically if you search YouTube or Google Video, you’re going to find stuff with comments that are anti-police — that’s the kind of sensationalistic stuff out there, so it tends to rise to the top.” Dave Smith, PoliceOne’s director of multimedia and seminars, a Chicago-based law enforcement trainer, is an industry expert producing original content for BLUtube. Smith has been spreading the word about BLUtube at training sessions and conferences around the country. “The startup has been intense, and some agencies are a little bit hesitant,” Smith explained. “A lot of them don’t want their agencies exposed to criticism.” Smith, who began producing police training videos in the early 1980s, is working on a series of police narratives, filming officers as they recall especially tough, and instructive, moments in their careers. The stories will be shared on BLUtube and on sister site Police One TV. While some agencies are initially wary of granting access, Smith said, PoliceOne’s track record and its focus on working with people who already have a presence in the police training industry is what ultimately opens many doors. secure online community and is encouraged so far to see BLUtube doing that. “Law enforcement really is a tight-knit community, so the training component and the community component blend,” he said. Most user-contributed videos today are “dash cam” footage of traffic stops or TV news segments. Ford wants to augment that collection with video from professional trainers and slick minidocumentaries. “BLUtube is really a first component,” said Ford. “If it’s a platform for delivering video, then the next step is to create video that meets training needs, and extend BLUtube so it becomes as much of a training tool as it can be.” PoliceOne’s umbrella company, Praetorian Group, oversees a number of sites that deliver online content to other emergency workers. Since launching PoliceOne and BLUtube, Dippell said Praetorian has rolled out similar “BLUtube is really a first component. If it’s a platform for delivering video, then the next step is to create video that meets training needs.” Alex Ford, CEO, PoliceOne “With my name recognition, it does help because once people know me, they know where I’m coming from,” he said. Getting recognized can be tougher for Smith than other trainers, he said, until he dons a pair of aviators and enthusiastically introduces himself as his alter ego, “Buck Savage,” a bumbling but helpful Arizona State Trooper whose tongue-in-cheek (a la Dukes of Hazzard) training tips have survived despite their campiness and early ’80s vintage. Incidentally “Buck Savage — Spare Tire” is one of BLUtube’s top featured videos. New Recruits Six months after launching BLUtube, 150 to 175 new users signed on to PoliceOne every day, Dippell said. “BLUtube really energized a lot of people,” Dippell said. “There’s a huge viral effect. We may have had 10 officers at a department who may have been on the site, but now there are 100.” As with YouTube, the potential to build a community of users around online video may prove to be its most notable feature. Ford sees a need to bring police officers together into a sites, including Fire Rescue 1 and EMS 1, believing there’s an audience in each of those fields that would welcome an online community and a chance to share training tips. Future projects at PoliceOne will likely be a result of the same process that brought about BLUtube: watch what Internet users respond to and adapt it to law enforcement needs. In partnership with Cisco Systems, PoliceOne recently launched an online clearinghouse for police grants, policegrantshelp.com, with guides and articles to help with funding applications. PoliceOne also is casting its net at a younger demographic with a new Facebook group. “There are probably a few younger officers in the academy now who might be interested in our newsletter,” Dippell said. “There are some officers who may not be on Facebook, or even approve of Facebook, but it’s just another way to get out there.” CONTRIBUTING WRITER PATRICK MICHELS IS BASED IN SAN FRANCISCO AND AUSTIN, TEXAS. HE ALSO WRITES FOR TEXAS TECHNOLOGY AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT MAGAZINES. 53 http://policegrantshelp.com http://www.govtech.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Government Technology - July 2008

Government Technology - July 2008 Point of View The Last Mile Big Picture On the Scene Four Questions for ... Generation 2.0 at Work Dangerous Convenience Tainted Justice? Are You Ready? E-Discovery Basics Smart Docs Advanced Math Online Video Blues Spectrum Personal Computing Products signal:noise

Government Technology - July 2008

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