RWC Police Dept. Honored for Social Media Program

[Editor's Note: The following information was received by Patch from the City of Redwood City, and is reprinted here.]

The Redwood City Police Department (PD) received a "Turning Red Tape into Red Carpet" Award from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group (SVLG) Thursday night, December 12, at a ceremony held at Santa Clara University. 

The SVLG's competitive awards program honors the best practices and innovative services of government entities in the Silicon Valley region. SVLG looks to award agencies for their work in helping build the economy and grow jobs through innovative government services, and for implementing programs that do a better job of serving citizens and fostering an environment for private sector job creation.

The Redwood City Police Department was selected as the winner of the award for "Innovative Use of Technology," which is one of five award categories. The Redwood City PD earned this award for their extensive social media program which includes Facebook pages in both English and Spanish, and a live "video chat" with Redwood City police officers. The goal of PD's social media program is to increase all types of communication with the community as this helps provide the community and PD problem solving opportunities. PD increased citizen-initiated police contacts by more than 20 percent, exceeding predetermined goals. In addition, the Department's reach through social media platforms has routinely extended to more than 11,000 subscribers on a single story or PD online post.

"We are honored that our PD's social media program was selected out of such a competitive application pool," states Bob Bell. "Our police team works hard to connect with all members of our community, and is a key reason Redwood City is a safe city that makes for a great place to live, work and play."

The awards program was judged by an independent group of Silicon Valley experts. Twenty-one public agencies participated, submitting 33 applications involving innovative programs and services that have made a positive difference in the region.  The award selection is based on the following criteria: extent of the economic impact on its community; achievement of its stated goals with measurable results; development of strong relationships with community and business leaders and widespread support from the local community that establishes and strengthens private-public partnerships; innovation, originality, cost-effectiveness and timeliness; relevance and transferability of the program that can be "re-created' in other communities.

For a full listing of all award categories and recipients, please see SVLG's press release. To read more about the SVLG and the overall award program, please visit svlg.org or call 408.501.7864.