Wear The Badge

The Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association pushed forward with a key element of its strategic plan in December with the debut of Wear the Badge. The comprehensive media campaign is aimed at telling the true story of what it is like to protect and serve in the 21st Century and why Minnesota men and women choose to wear the badge.

MCPA leaders introduced a series of videos and the Wear the Badge web portal at a statewide news conference just prior of the association’s Critical Issues Forum in Bloomington. They used the opportunity to stress the importance of recruiting and retaining a new generation of law enforcement officers.

“Our community loves its police officers. They’re very supportive,” said Jeff Potts, Bloomington’s chief of police and the vice president of MCPA. “I think if more people knew that and understood you get to be active and out in the community, a lot more people would be considering law enforcement as a career.

The Critical Issues Forum included panels of law enforcement leaders and educators who discussed both recruiting challenges and solutions. A presentation from state demographer Susan Brower also highlighted the decline in Minnesota’s available workforce which is already impacting a wide range of careers. (More information about the event is available at mnchiefs.org in the January issues of Minnesota Police Chief Online.)

Andrew Wittenborg, who directs Wear the Badge for MCPA, says initial coverage of the campaign reached ten of thousands of Minnesotans through T-V, radio and newspapers.

“We are really pleased with the response. We have a critical message to share when it comes to recruiting a new generation of peace officers,” Wittenborg says. “But more importantly, many Minnesotans also want to see a more authentic portrayal of police work. They understand media coverage isn’t always going to be positive but they still want to get a better understanding of what it’s like to be a police officer and explore how the career is evolving.”

Wear the Badge includes a series of short videos from chiefs and officers with their personal and unscripted stories of how they chose a career in public safety. A website hosts the videos, information on careers in law enforcement and links to available jobs.

“It has been a great experience meeting a lot of officers from different backgrounds with different stories to share,” Wittenborg says. “But one thing I have discovered is that they all have a calling to serve their communities and help others.”

Wear the Badge will continue to live on with new videos and stories released on social media. MCPA has also entered into a partnership with School Space Media, a company that provides live video streams of high school sporting events across Minnesota. The officers’ stories are aired during halftime coverage of boys and girl’s basketball and hockey games.

MCPA members will also use the video series and other resources as part of their outreach both at schools and community meetings. Since the launch of the campaign, some educational institutions have also asked to make the stories part of their career libraries.