The Police Academy presents to you: Dumb and Dumber

The Location:  Barcelona, Spain

The Peeps:  Two policemen fooling around while driving, enjoying a funny, private moment

The One who outed them:  The wife of one of them! 
(you guessed it, they were going through an acrimonious divorce process)

The Tool: The wife found the video on her husband’s computer and decided to upload it to You Tube in October 2012.

The Results:  The traditional media outlets online and on television amplified it even more. The video went viral, with parodies, and the police bureau had to deal with the situation.

Although the video online was removed from the user, we can just use the wonderful world of our own imaginations to guess what was said or acted out in the video that went viral to over 30,000 people within hours of posting.

What did the Police Department do in response to the leaked video?
In a press conference held on October 3, 2012, the local government announced that the two officers had their salaries suspended and that a disciplinary investigation would be carried out. It was also added that they regretted “the bad effect it has on the Police image”.

How would I have managed this crisis had I been in charge of the police department's social web team?

1. Video response on the Police Bureau's website

The fact that the local government had a press conference shows how far reaching this crisis went. As the crisis began with a video, I would have engaged the head of the public relations department of the police bureau to post a video of apology with a message of the police bureau's commitment to public safety and professionalism. The message would provide a strong message to the public to repair the image of the police force and affirm the positive reputation of not only a 'few good men' but thousands of men and woman police officers who take their call of duty with the utmost of dedication and commitment.

   2. Monitor the Police Bureau's blog

As most people feel the need to express their thoughts, concerns and opinion, I would ensure the police bureau's public relations team (specifically the social media team) to monitor and measure online chatter regarding the crisis and to respond immediately. This will show the public that the police bureau is actively engaged in re-building the image of the police force, as well as letting the public know they value their input.

3. Avoid humour and negativity at all costs!

Whether the response to the public is through video, blogging, Twitter or media interviews, it is vital that the key messages are professional, do not contain a trace of humour (in this instance, due to the fact that humour was the cause of the crisis) and avoid retaliating to negative public response. The public needs to be assured that the police bureau is treating this situation with all seriousness and it not resorting to humour to cover an unfortunate situation.