CCSO release – The Coos County Sheriff’s Office has been working diligently on being more transparent with the public we serve, from putting out press releases on as many law enforcement actions as possible to naming individual Deputies on press releases. As the Press Information Officer, I feel this has been allowing us to meet you and you to meet us, even if through the written word. Recently in one of our posts, a concerned citizen brought to my attention that other law enforcement agencies do not specifically name their officers. Although this information is public record, I asked the Sheriff’s Office staff their feelings. I was overwhelmed by the responses and would like to share a few with you. “Naming us as law enforcement employees will have positive effects on promoting transparency, accountability, and building better relationships with the community. It humanizes the Sheriff’s Office, increasing recognition of positive work and providing an opportunity for the public to know the individuals behind the badge or phone. Despite negative attention towards law enforcement in recent years, the majority of those in law enforcement are good and moral individuals. This approach emphasizes that we are not faceless entities associated with the bad actors of high-profile news stories, but real people who live among and work to help our citizens.” D. Garcia – Communications Specialist; “It’s an excellent way to translate law enforcement as real people. It gives a personality to the post and reflects that those responders are actual people, not nameless robots.” C. Stone – Communications Specialist; “We are servants of the public, and the public deserves to know the good things we do and not just the bad. Transparency is key, and the positives of name recognition outweigh the negatives.” Sgt. C. Gill – Corrections Division; “I’ve had several people see my name tag and recognize it as one from the press release. It’s been a positive in every aspect that I have seen.” Deputy H. Francis – Patrol; “It gives it a more personal connection, and I think the public likes that. They feel like they know us when they have never personally met us.” Deputy T. Hansen – Chief Civil Deputy; “I think it is important that the public gets to know us as we are their Sheriff’s Office. Further, each of us, good, bad, or indifferent, need to own our actions. I think by naming deputies, we contribute to that ownership.” Capt. S. Sanborn – Criminal Division Commander; “I feel that the direction of the Facebook page is amazing; I have heard nothing but good things from the public.” Deputy J. Gray – Timber Deputy; “I agree with you that it creates a better connection with the public. I would vote to keep it the same.” Sgt. M. Smith – Contract Sgt (Timber, Dunes Marine); “This day in age, the majority of information “News” that people see is through social media. I think seeing the names and faces of our office helps make it a little more personal. I believe seeing who we are and what we do has great potential at helping us in future events, such as the suspect who heard Odin’s name and gave up from knowing Odin’s reputation.” Deputy J . Lay – Corrections Division. Obviously, there may come a time we are not able to name an individual deputy due to the incident or request by the member; however, these responses above and several others received make us very proud of our staff and the jobs they do for our community.
