Social Media the Internet and Law Enforcement Announces 2012 Canadian Conference
On March 25-28, 2012, Boston-based LAwS Communications is partnering with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to produce the fifth Social Media the Internet and Law Enforcement (SMILE) Conference to discuss the use of social media to improve law enforcement, crime prevention and officer safety. Specifically, the three-day event being hosted at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver will focus on social media in regards to public order, social activism, and the interaction of old media with new media.
“We only need to look in our own backyards to witness firsthand the exponential growth of social media and the impact it is having on law enforcement,” commented Chief Dale McFee, president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. “As a community outreach, crime prevention or forensic tool, law enforcement is rapidly embracing this global phenomena — as it must! The CACP is thrilled to work in partnership with Lauri Stevens and LAwS Communications in bringing this first-class learning opportunity to Canada.”
The SMILE Conference brings together one of the largest assemblages of law enforcement professionals from around the world to address the topics of social media strategy, reputation management, policy and other issues pertaining to community outreach. There will be an emphasis on the changing role between law enforcement, social activists, and traditional media.
“We are extremely proud to have our fifth conference in Vancouver,” stated Lauri Stevens, SMILE Conference founder. “We’re now going into our third year. Over the past two years the SMILE Conference has pioneered the adoption of social media by law enforcement agencies across the world for public outreach, crime prevention, and forensics. Hosting the conference in Canada for the first time is only appropriate as adoption of social media by law enforcement grows exponentially.”
The influential speaker lineup and international panel of experts will lead attendees through three days of in-depth social media and Internet education specific to law enforcement professionals. Lectures and sessions will cover topics such as online officer safety, including use of Facebook and Twitter, social engineering, mobile video and geo-location threats.
A town hall meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 27, from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. It will provide everyone an opportunity to further explore and discuss at length issues concerning social media and law enforcement that could not be fully addressed during the plenary session. The town hall will be highly spirited, interactive and wrapped in a social media context.
