WILMINGTON — It’s no secret that law enforcement and the media have a contentious relationship and, later this month, the Wilmington Police Department will take another step in trying to communicate directly with the community without going through news outlets.
WPD announced Wednesday it would be launching “Behind the Badge with Chief Williams,” a weekly web series promising a “behind-the-scenes look at training, equipment, tactics, and more in an effort to reduce the mystery and misinformation surrounding police work.”
The series, to be hosted by Chief Donny Williams, will be “both informative and visually exciting and will engage the community.” It’s worth noting the web series promises to feature precisely the kind of access that the department usually limits — or denies — to the media, often citing the need to preserve the integrity of investigative methods, tactical advantages, or specific cases.
“We want citizens to see our equipment, how we train, our investigative processes, because the more they know, the less likely they are to believe the rumors and misinformation out there,” Williams said in a statement announcing the series. (Williams didn’t point to any specific ‘misinformation’ and Wednesday’s announcement noted that Williams would not be taking questions.)
It’s not the first attempt by the department to cut the media out of the story. Last year, WPD launched “Cops on Mic,” a podcast covering some of the same behind-the-scenes territories as the forthcoming ‘Behind the Badge’ series. (The podcast, which you can find here, is still running, complete with surprisingly catchy theme song.)
Announcing the launch of the podcast, then-Chief Ralph Evangelous said “I think launching this podcast will be a great way for our agency to tell our story. So many times, we wait for the local news media to share our information, but with the help of a podcast and an attentive audience we can tell our own story.”
It was not clear at the time in which situations WPD had to wait on local media to share information, as most outlets share press releases from the department within an hour. However, the in-depth and behind-the-scenes content of the podcast, and now web series, have not frequently been shared by the department.
WPD has also shifted away from press conferences where, traditionally, reporters get an opportunity to ask top brass pointed questions in order to get honest, unrehearsed answers.
The pivot was most notable in May, at the conclusion of the investigation into the car crash that killed Stephanie Mayorga and Paige Escalera, when WPD released a pre-recorded briefing and declined to take follow-up questions. The department initially called this a ‘press conference,’ but later said it should have been referred to as ‘briefing.’
Covid-19 was given as the reason for the switch to the briefing, but just two weeks earlier — on April 29, when the case was still active — detectives held an open-air press conference at the police station without issue.
The shift was seen by some as a response to criticisms that WPD had “dropped the ball” on the investigation by failing to follow up on a 911 call from a driver who witnessed the crash. (WPD later fought to block the release of drone video of the crash site when the women’s car was retrieved, but lost in court.)
It’s not clear if the ‘press briefing’ will remain the standard or if press conferences will return in a post-Covid world.
It is clear that law enforcement faces a precarious balance with the public, garnering full-throated support from some and open hostility from others, while still needing to maintain relationships with all parts of the community.
In Wednesday’s release, Williams wrote “[w]e’re in a critical time for American law enforcement agencies right now, and we have to find a way to rebuild the trust that’s eroded between the community and the police.”
The inaugural episode of the web series, airing on September 18, will focus on homicide cases. WPD encourages residents to send in general questions regarding homicide investigations to officeofthechief@wilmingtonnc.gov, using the subject line “Behind the Badge.” This email will be used for questions, episode suggestions, and feedback moving forward, according to WPD.
Send comments and tips to Benjamin Schachtman at ben@localdailymedia.com, @pcdben on Twitter, and (910) 538-2001.
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WPD promises 'informative' and 'visually exciting' behind-the-scenes web series with Chief Donny Williams - Port City Daily
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