Law enforcement leaders discuss policing challenges, from social media to juvenile crime

Social media fallout, recruitment and retention, and trends in juvenile crime were all at the forefront of a police forum Wednesday attended by law enforcement officials from across Maryland and Virginia.

Highlighting the discussion at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore were issues with misinformation often exacerbated by social media and how that impacts current and prospective officers. The panel also discussed how the numbers of applicants for openings in numerous police agencies are steadily dwindling while jurisdictions still have to contend with increased turnover.

In attendance was David Meienschein, Chief of Police for Salisbury; John Revel, Salisbury Barrack Commander for the Maryland State Police; Mike Lewis, Wicomico County Sheriff; Matt Crisafulli, Worcester County Sheriff; Ronald Howard, Somerset County Sheriff; Justin Todd, Chief of Police for the Cambridge Police Department; Krah Plunkert, Chief of Police for the Fruitland Police Department; Angelo DiMartino, Chief of Police for the Exmore Police Department in Virginia; and Thomas Johnson, Chief of Police for the Dover Police Department. Wicomico County State's Attorney Jamie Dykes moderated the panel.

"This is an opportunity for law enforcement leaders to impart to the public something about their experiences. They don't usually get that chance to do that and discuss the challenges facing (policing)," said Dykes.

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Social media's impact on modern policing

"Public trust is a key component for successful law enforcement organizations, and in today's society with social media, there more demands on officers," said Crisafulli. "We must keep the public informed in matters that we can, and it's a delicate balance when it comes to investigations. In today's society, we have the expectation there will always be the need to know everything immediately."

Keeping officers accountable in every instance of public interaction was also highlighted, with law enforcement agencies noting they have strict procedures to do so.

"There are those in the community that want to get the information out there first, and that can be highly inaccurate at times. We don't know what we have until we get on the scene, and we want to have the public have confidence in law enforcement. So we put out information to get it right, and I hear from the community they do have confidence in the department," said Lewis.

Johnson noted that police culture and communication strategies both start within the individual departments. That is why officers must feel they can speak with commanding officers about a specific call for service. The department often must release details of an incident while often debunking others already circulating.

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Salisbury chief: 'We have to chase that information and correct it'

Meienschein mentioned outreach was key to knowing the public and community partners who will be the sources of information on a call for service.

"The Salisbury Police Department has a media team, and many of the problems we see are in getting that information out," Meienschein said. "Some social media sites push that information out, and we have to chase that information and correct it. Many times when we go to a scene, it takes time to investigate everything that's going on. There are times when we get there and it's not anything similar to what it's called on social media."

Plunkert echoed many of those sentiments, adding regular releases of information goes along with transparency in dealing with the public.

"Accurate information needs to get out not just about an incident, but how we function internally. Through educational campaigns, we can bring the public together and have them understand our policies and procedures. That's regardless of it's an investigation on an officer or a criminal investigation," Plunkert said.

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Juvenile crime and younger offenders 'a tough battle to overcome'

For departments across the region, dealing with juvenile offenders has become a daily task. Charges stemming from auto thefts to gang-related activity often have many other social maladies at work, including broken homes and poverty. Departments have taken a novel approach to reversing spikes in juvenile arrests by getting kids involved with community sports and other programs.

Other methods like curfews have limited juveniles from being out past a certain hour, but panelists noted this was not an issue where departments can "arrest their way out of it."

"Juvenile crime has spiked for the City of Cambridge and last year, car thefts alone jumped by 275% and we were finding 11- and 12-year-old kids," Todd said. "They get involved with street activities with certain gang members who tell them to do this because they'll be no consequences due to their age. That's been a tough battle to overcome, and we've been working with juvenile services with our county to develop curfews and give families resources."

DiMartino added Virginia has seen similar upticks in juvenile crime.

"What we're seeing is social media is a problem. It's kids wanting to make the next big video. We have a town park where a fight was recorded, and it was sent to law enforcement. Those involved will apologize for it, but the family even defended the juvenile's behavior," DiMartino said.

Issues that beget juvenile crime often start in the home, DiMartino said, and that includes incidents where the parent or legal guardian is not regularly present in the home.

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Recruiting the next generation of police officers

The panelist all agreed recruiting and retaining a workforce is a constant struggle, often including incentive packages and becoming creative to find candidates.

"Recruitment is getting smaller by each passing month, and it's going to get smaller," Howard said. "In our department, we still can't compete with the salaries that other departments might pay. I recently lost two employees to another agency, and it was due to better money. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see the struggle getting better."

Qualified candidates are often able to compare what various departments offer in terms of salary, benefits and even perks like a vehicle to take home. Panelists also noted they are competing with the private sector when it comes to recruiting.

As the panelist cited, a job that places officers in dangerous situations and might include working evenings, weekends and holidays is a tough sell. Attracting applicants is just one aspect of the human resources puzzle, as departments still must also retain their current officers and deputies.

Attending to mental health needs and dealing with stress of the job, panelists noted, are essential in keeping good officers.

"There is still protocols I do to make sure my staff is doing fine after seeing (traumatic) events in the line of duty. There are those who experience certain things and we check in with them, and they roll along. But others need more time," Revel said.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Modern challenges in policing include social media, juvenile crime