Lewiston-Aubrun Sun Journal, ME - Bangor
Police Department Sgt. Tim Cotton has put the department on the map for
its humor and goodwill. Share E-mail this story Print this story Save
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Cotton is the humorous writer for the BPD's
Facebook page. He started posting in 2014, later introducing the "Duck
of Justice" mascot.
Media outlets from all over have
since written about his funny FB posts, which have attracted thousands
of followers. The page's "likes" outnumber the population of Bangor.
This
year Cotton has traveled to Florida and Tennessee to meet with police
departments and talk about how Bangor police connect with the public
through social media and on the job.
"We need to be
real and honest," Cotton said in an email, answering questions from the
Sun Journal. "I hate the terminology that we need to show we are human.
That should be assumed." Police officers should include, not seclude,
themselves in the community, he said.
"Community
policing doesn't need to be a catch phrase. It needs to be an action. We
work hard at doing that here," Cotton said. "Facebook has opened us up
for the world to see." But, it's a precarious position. "We need to be
on guard all the time to avoid disappointing citizens."
The BPD's social media page promotes understanding by giving people insight into what police do, Cotton said.
"We
had over 1,000 individuals stop by the police department last year just
to visit, meet officers and talk about enjoying the page.
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