Behind the Badge
Behind the Badge launched 10 years ago on a simple notion: to tell the stories of the men and women who keep our communities safe.
As we embark on an 11th year, beginning Tuesday, Sept. 2 we will regularly present top stories (of the nearly 6,000) we have produced over the years.
We’ve covered detectives solving hundreds of crimes, some requiring 40 years to achieve justice. We’ve covered the recruitment crisis, the controversy over police using surplus military gear and the mental health and physical toll the job takes on so many of its professionals. K9s and their handlers? Yep, got them too.
But most of all, we’ve told thousands of stories “behind the badge” – such as the father whose nine children followed him into policing, the homicide detective who kept a memorial to each of her victims above her desk as a constant reminder of why she works so hard to pursue justice and the officer’s struggle to return to the job after a suspect shot him three times.
As news pages have shrunk, we’ve been there covering more than two dozen police officer and firefighter funerals.
https://behindthebadge.com/a-dangerous-job-has-gotten-even-more-dangerous/
Riverside County Sheriff Chaplain, and family pastor, Chris Suitt, left, and Funeral Director Edward Washington fold the American flag that was draped over the casket of RCSD Dep. Terrell Young, who died from complications of the COVID-19 virus, before presenting the flag to his wife, Marie.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge
BehindTheBadge.com arrived at a time of changing dynamics between law enforcement, first responders, and the public. Orange County was roiling from verdicts exonerating two former Fullerton police officers in the death of Kelly Thomas followed months later by riots in Anaheim. “Citizen journalists” armed with phone cameras started trolling police at crime scenes. Protesters used slurs on social media and in real life such as ACAB (All Cops are Bastards).
“Our team of award-winning former newspaper reporters has met with and written about hundreds if not thousands of police and fire employees over the past decade,” said Bill Rams, publisher and co-founder. “Most are great people. Our goal all along has been to educate, entertain, inform, and enhance the relationship between first responders and the communities they serve. It’s been an honor and privilege to share these stories.”
The aim was to bring some humanity to the table with personal stories of first responders as well as address existing and developing news and issues.
Our staffers have won more than 60 awards for excellence in journalism from the Orange County Press Club and our content has reached hundreds of millions of people, and been picked up by local, regional and national media.
Fullerton PD Motor Cpl. Kyle Baas takes his 2-year-old son, John William Baas, through the motorcycle obstacle course during a break of the 45th Annual OCTOA Police Motorcycle Training and Skills Competition at Huntington State Beach.
http://behindthebadgeoc.com/?p=31201
A new and emerging world
Law enforcement and first responders face an increasingly complex world of tactics, expectations, and communities. Practices and advancements in de-escalation, coordination with social services, and increased community engagement are reshaping department cultures and the foundations of police work and emergency response.
Over the years, BTB has evolved and reshaped itself to new technologies, media, and modes of communicating. We have seen and helped shape a sea change as public agencies with whom we worked have learned to better reach out to communities through social media. When we launched, although 96 percent of police agencies surveyed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police reported using social media, most employed it as an investigative tool and crime fighting tool and less as a means of public outreach, or storytelling. That has changed, as have we.
This year BTB is launching a regular podcast that will feature stories, experts and those who have made a difference in a wide range of public safety areas, broadcasting them to our more than 160,000 followers on social media and our newsletter.
“Trust in police is on the rise, but many challenges remain – such as recruitment and rising crime,” Rams said. “But it is the responsibility of every agency and employee to maintain that hard-earned trust. Reputations are earned and enhanced through performance, behavior and communication. That’s where we come in – in trying to help tell the story.
