It’s no surprise that the police expos and law enforcement conferences we all look forward to attending every year have had to cancel their in-person events due to the global pandemic. But that doesn’t mean all the networking, learning, and teaching must come to a halt too.
Quite the opposite, actually.
With less travel arrangements to make and time spent in the air, it’s a good year for those in law enforcement to take advantage of online resources from the comfort of their homes and offices.
Want some ideas? Here are a few ways you can continue to stay at the top of your game in 2020.
- Attend IACP 2020 online. Scheduled for October 21-23, the IACP 2020 Virtual Training Event Expo is promising access to more than 175 educational workshops, inspirational keynote speakers, a virtual exhibit hall, and countless ways to interact and network with presenters and other virtual attendees. While it won’t be quite the same as years past (photos from last year here), we’re sure they’ll still put on a phenomenal event.
- Join LinkedIn groups. If you don’t already have a LinkedIn profile for yourself—and even if you’re not on the hunt for a new position—now’s a good time to create your account. After you do, search for “law enforcement” in the groups feature and request to join any groups that sound relevant and interesting to you. A few examples: The Law Enforcement Network (49k members); Law Enforcement Information Technology Network (12k members); International Police Association (28k members); Women in Law Enforcement (2k members). What’ll happen when you join: You’ll be digitally connected to thousands of others in your field, with the ability to read their stories, updates, questions, answers, and more.
- Subscribe to newsletters. Chances are you’re already a frequent browser at PoliceMag.com, but here’s a quick tip to be more efficient with your time: Click on “Newsletters” in the top navigation bar, answer a few short questions, then sign up for any of the free newsletters that sound appealing to you—like Police Top How-To’s (bi-monthly); Hot Products (monthly); OnTarget (daily); or Police Top Stories (weekly). Delivered straight to your inbox, these emails are always chock full of information to keep you in the loop.
- Follow these social media accounts. Now more than ever, police departments are using social media to communicate critical information and advice to their communities—and some are notably good at it. Even if your department isn’t on this list of 50 most social media friendly police departments in America’s largest cities, it’s a good idea to start following a few of them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. From the Dallas Police Department to the Philadelphia Police Department to the Honolulu Police Department, it’s a quick and easy way to see what your colleagues across the country are up to and what sorts of information they’re disseminating to their followers.
- Talk to your vendors. That means us! Whether you’re already a customer of ours or just want to know more about the latest in law enforcement technology and license plate recognition systems, our team at Leonardo is always happy to hop on the phone or a Zoom call to talk about what we’re up to, how we’re helping agencies in this unpredictable time, and what technology you need to know about to ensure you’re doing the most for your community.
