In a time of anti-police sentiment and politicians bowing to the demands of a loud few, every police union should have a public information officer (PIO).

While police departments trying to navigate the new political climate are wary to promote the outstanding work performed by cops every day, police unions need to step up efforts to let the public know the great work police actually do, contrary to the often erroneous, loudmouth narratives. Police unions should counter the false narratives by promoting the exceptional work done by police officers, even if police departments are hesitant to do so.

Elected politicians control police departments, and politicians are not ones to embrace bad news. Conversely, police have to deal with bad news, often with selfless, courageous actions. So, there lies a huge divide, and crime is a major part of that divide. Crime is what cops have to confront and something that politicians will not acknowledge. Crime is the burden that cops bear, while politicians remain in denial. Political leaders see crime spikes as challenges to their re-elections — challenges that may cause police departments to rethink their relationship with officers. Face it, politicians control the purse strings.

Each day, police officers perform exceptionally in ways the public is not aware of. Unless it is a major arrest or incident, police departments rarely promote the success of their officers. Therein lies the job for a law enforcement union PIO. A PIO’s job is to level the playing field and push back on the untrue information put forth by the cop haters. The union PIO has to employ tactics similar to those used by the loudmouths. The difference, though, is loudmouths use isolated incidents as indictments on law enforcement, while a PIO can counter with overwhelming examples of exemplary police work.

A PIO’s job is to level the playing field and push back on the untrue information put forth by the cop haters.

One example is a motor vehicle stop for a traffic violation where an officer detects something is just not right. The officer’s due diligence leads to the recovery of a stolen handgun in possession of the driver. The department will not issue a media release on this arrest because it’s considered “routine.” But it tells a story the public will never become aware of because, as far as they know, it didn’t happen. The story is important because the handgun recovered will not be used in further crimes affecting the public. The public never learns of this if it “didn’t happen,” but shouldn’t they be aware of good police work that results in the interruption of crime patterns? The obvious answer is yes.

This is where social media platforms may be effective. The use of public platforms such as Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook can be successful messaging tools. A brief narrative congratulating the officer on a job well done can have a far and lasting reach since many get their information from social media.

Sometimes major incidents involving multiple agencies may lead to only one agency controlling the narrative. Example: New York City, December 2017. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vest in a pedestrian subway tunnel connecting transportation facilities patrolled by different law enforcement agencies. The ordnance partially exploded, wounding commuters and the bomber. Cops from one department responded to the tunnel, apprehending and disarming the bomber of the unexploded ordnance he was attempting to ignite during a violent struggle. Those police officers were undoubtedly heroes. Meanwhile, up on the street level, another agency already started a press conference with city and state officials. The press conference did not include officials from the arresting department. The union representing the hero police officers was not having that and went on a full-court press to get out the accurate chain of events through direct contact with media outlets. Instead of being buried in the story, the hero cops were the media darlings, not just that day, but for weeks afterward — all because of the work of the union.

Yet another incident occurred at a major city airport where a police officer responded to a TSA screening point and was informed of an individual acting suspiciously and wearing a backpack with wires snaking out. The officer made notifications, located the subject and ordered an evacuation of the terminal.

The subject attempted to flee as the officer approached. The information the officer had led him to consider the subject may have an explosive device. He knew he had to prevent the subject from fleeing into the evacuating crowd, so he made a split-second decision to tackle the subject. Bringing the subject to the floor, the officer fought for control of the backpack. The officer was able to gain control and throw the backpack into a safe, isolated area. The bomb squad responded and determined the backpack to be safe.

The fact the backpack did not contain explosives was not known to the officer when he acted and did not diminish his extraordinary heroics.

His union recognized that the city had a new hero and made sure the media knew it. The next morning, the police officer made front-page headlines.

Recently, an off-duty officer on his way home came upon a head-on crash involving trapped occupants and an engine fire. The officer rescued the occupants while the fire increased in intensity. The union became aware of the incident early on and was instrumental in making sure media outlets were informed.

In each case, while the officers’ agency did not promote the heroics, the public became well aware of the courageous work of their police officers by the unions that represent them.

Returning to the divide, it is important to understand the reason the divide exists. The agency wants to present the perception of safety and order, while the cops deal with the reality of safety and order. It is rare when perception and reality coexist as one. One former union leader repeatedly reminded his membership, “The agency always plans for a sunny day, but it’s always raining.” Those words ring so true, especially with the officers working the streets.

With the work of a knowledgeable union PIO, the public’s knowledge of the daily job of its police officers may go a long way in repairing the unfortunate, unfair and unjust negative narratives put forth about law enforcement.