The Miami Beach Police Department’s social media team is getting a lot of attention today for their rapid-fire response to the Justin Bieber arrest. The aggressive and comprehensive nature of the way @MiamiBeachPD blasted out copious arrest reports and mug shot photos surprised some media observers who were not familiar with Florida’s sunshine law. Some Beliebers cried foul, but the department pointed them to the relevant laws on the books that give them the authority to put all his arrest information out there.
Also read: Justin Bieber Mugshots, DUI Arrest Report Released: ‘I Ain’t Got No F–king Weapons’ (Photos)
For the followers who are asking how can MBPD release these documents . See Page 94 Section 119.011(3)(c), F.S.,http://t.co/JMdwCdFc5o
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) January 23, 2014
Others applauded the department for their media savvy, which was rewarded with a surge in Twitter followers.
Most police departments are bad at social media. Some are good. And some are great: https://t.co/LYYyinrvbS
— Matt Ford (@HemlockMartinis) January 23, 2014
So who is the commander of this formidable operation?
“It’s just me doing the tweets,” said Detective Vivian Hernandez humbly. “And also Media Relations Officer Bobby Hernandez.”
Also read: Justin Bieber’s Bail Set at $2,500 in Nationally Televised Bond Hearing
Hernandez has been the star behind the scenes of @MiamiBeachPD, who was the first to tweet the now iconic Justin Bieber mugshot, working to inform the public of every new breaking development.
The Wrap got in touch with Hernandez during her busy day and asked her how her department prepared so well for this type of media event of cosmic proportions.
Hernandez said she was trained in PR at Florida’s Barry University which helped her prepare for the events at hand.
“We’ve had the Facebook group almost two years and one and half years for Twitter,” Hernandez explained.
She said Miami Beach PD’s social media presence really took off once the band One Direction shot a music video in Miami Beach. (pictured above)
“We like to use it to let the public know that it’s not always about the bad guys,” Hernandez explained.
Post-Bieber, the police department’s Twitter following has skyrocketed in the hours following the arrest. “We were about 400 shy of 4,000 before all this happened,” she said.
Florida’s unique media transparency laws also helped get the information out as quickly as possible.
“Florida is very open with their public record laws,” she added.
Also read: Justin Bieber Arrested for DUI, Drag Racing
Hernandez notes that if there ever was an ethical concern over a tweet, she would use some editorial oversight before sending it out.
“If I ever have to make a judgment call — I let Bobby Hernandez check it out and he reviews it.”
Has the department ever had to deal with a previous incident that was the magnitude of Bieber’s arrest?
“We’ve had a couple of NFL incidents before, and not everything has been negative,” Hernandez concluded.
Wrap readers what do you think? Exploitation or masterful use of social media. Tell us below in the comments.
Most police departments are bad at social media. Some are good. And some are great: https://t.co/LYYyinrvbS
— Matt Ford (@HemlockMartinis) January 23, 2014
