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2019 Annual Report • Police Department • St. Anthony Village, Minnesota <br /> <br /> <br />27 | Page <br /> <br />X. Social Media <br />PREPARED BY OFFICER KIEL RUSHTON <br /> <br />Here we are, 2020! Typically, talk of the “20’s” leads one to reminisce about the days of the <br />“roaring twenties”, a decade that gave birth to Mickey Mouse, jazz music, and dances like the <br />Charleston. Now, 100 years later, we head into the new decade with the power of “portable <br />instant information”. Nearly every single American carries a personal communication device <br />on a daily basis, and we here at St. Anthony PD continue to innovate ways to reach these folks, <br />each and every day. <br />The past year has been a breakthrough year for the police department, <br />and the Community Engagement Team has dedicated hours upon <br />hours of their time to promote a positive image for the entire city <br />through the use of social media. <br />The St. Anthony Police Department was contacted by local NBC News <br />Affiliate, KARE 11, regarding our community outreach and engagement through the use of <br />Twitter. The station sent a reporter, and did an entire segment about how police officers from <br />all over the state use Twitter to promote trust through transparency, by “tweeting” about their <br />day. Tweets include everything from donut jokes to serious criminal apprehensions. As <br />agencies everywhere in the world use Twitter, the “twittersphere” has become flooded with <br />these types of posts. This story gave much needed legitimacy to the St. Anthony Police <br />Department “brand”, a task that the Community Engagement Team has put so much effort into <br />establishing through the use of social media, and has established St. Anthony PD as a local and <br />regional leader in online community engagement. <br />Captain Spiess and Officer Rushton were invited to Minnesota’s <br />“Toward Zero Deaths” conference, held in St. Cloud this past <br />October, to present to conference attendees about St. Anthony <br />PD’s success in promoting traffic and pedestrian safety through <br />the use of social media. The presentation highlighted the <br />successes experienced by the department, and how “heavy” use of