The 34-year veteran police officer took over the duties of Public Information Officer in 2014 after he mistakenly walked into the Sergeant’s Exam after he was tricked into believing it was a birthday party and that cake was being served. Updating Facebook was part of the deal.

Cotton started out his post-teen years as a disc jockey, then news director at Bangor’s Stephen King owned WZON radio after attending the New England School of Communications in the 80’s. He made the decision to become a police officer mainly because the hours seemed better and he hated trying to figure what to wear each day.

He took over the Department’s Facebook page in the spring of 2014 with a following of 9,000. The page now has reached 330,000 followers and has been featured on Mike Rowe’s “The Way I Heard It” podcasts on several occasions, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Huffington Post, People Magazine, National Public Radio, American Police Beat magazine, numerous blog posts, and many television and radio programs. Many social media professionals still call him to tell him he is doing it all wrong. He listens, because people feel better when they can vent.

The Marginally World Famous Bangor Police Department Duck of Justice—now in the police department museum—has drawn visitors to the lobby of the Bangor Police Department from all over America and twenty-seven other countries. Public Acceptance is a byproduct of successfully presented social media content.

Cotton was promoted to Lieutenant in 2017 and took over the duties as the commander of the criminal investigation division. He later transferred to the Services Division, but still handled all Facebook duties because no one else wanted to do it. He retired this past summer because it was time. He still handles the Bangor Police Department Facebook page because no one else wants to do it.

Effectively navigating the complexities of a crisis is part of the daily routine for public safety communication professionals. Law enforcement agencies have a wealth of experience managing crises, but have recently found themselves thrust into the national spotlight for a series of high profile national incidents that have called for major reform across the industry. Community skepticism has provided opportunities for law enforcement leaders to bolster community bonds, leverage relationships to reduce crime and impact future generations to serve in this honorable profession, but has also highlighted the necessity of having an effective communications staff.

As a member of the Metropolitan Police Department’s (Washington, DC) Executive Staff, Dustin Sternbeck heads the Office of Communications for the primary law enforcement agency in our nation’s capital. He has spent over 15 years providing leadership and expertise in all phases of communication and outreach for public safety agencies. His team of sworn and civilian staff at MPD represent over 4,500 members, and routinely handle high profile events that have national implications.

Chris Cognac is a recently retired Sergeant from the Hawthorne, California Police Department. He served in a number of capacities including patrol officer and field supervisor, detective, detective and narcotics supervisor as well as establishing and supervising the community affairs unit. Sergeant Cognac served as a Fellow at the Department of Justices, Office of Community Policing in Washington DC. Sergeant Cognac worked with the collaborative reform initiative as well as served as a subject matter expert in police branding , social media and community engagement. Sergeant Cognac is the co-creator and primary instructor for the Coffee with a Cop community policing program which grew from a single event designed to help facilitate open and honest dialogue between officers and citizens in the community, into the largest global community policing program in the world .

Sergeant Cognac also advises police on developing community engagement through sports and mentoring though creating safe spaces for positive interaction . He has partnered with Major League Soccer, the National Hockey League Players Association and numerous non-profits and NGO’s, to help build positive police community relationships and establish trust . Sergeant Cognac was the recipient of the Axon Rise award in 2019 for his work around the world in community policing and engagement. Sergeant Cognac has trained police across the United States as well as in Canada and Australia in best practices, trust building, community engagement and use of sports as an trust building tool.

Sergeant Paul Walker joined the Abbotsford Police Department in 2011 which is located just outside of Vancouver, Canada.  Since then, he has worked in a variety of units including Patrol and the AbbyPD Gang Crime Unit. Between 2016 and 2018, Sergeant Walker was seconded to the RCMP E-Division Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU). Sergeant Walker’s leadership in this unit lead to the creation and development of the Lower Mainland Prohibited Driver Enforcement Team.

In 2013, Sergeant Walker began working in AbbyPD’s Media Relations Unit as the backup media spokesperson and in 2021 became the full-time Media Relations Officer. Sergeant Walker enjoys being connected to the community and has worked along side a variety of Community-led initiatives.

Sergeant Walker has received numerous commendations and awards for his service including a Lieutenant Governor’s award for Meritorious Service, RCMP Commanding Officer’s Commendation, BC Association Chiefs of Police award, and Chief Constable and Inspector Commendations. Sergeant Walker made Alexa’s Team both in 2016 and 2020 as part of his ongoing commitment to removing impaired drivers from the roadways of British Columbia.

Howard Ludwig has spent his professional career telling compelling stories. He does that now by working with reporters throughout the Washington DC region as the Assistant Director of the Public Affairs Bureau for the Fairfax County Police Department. Howard works directly with various media members on breaking news as well as in-depth think pieces. He is also responsible for collaborating with FCPD Command Staff to craft internal messaging and branding for Virginia’s largest police department. Prior to arriving in Fairfax, Howard served the Chicago Police Department as the Public Information Coordinator. He was the voice of three superintendents in Chicago, serving as a speech writer and crafting all executive-level communication. Howard worked as a newspaper reporter for 20 years prior to making the shift to public relations. His byline has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, the Daily Southtown and numerous other publications.

Officer Meg Hawkins is a 19-year law enforcement veteran with Fairfax County. Her career began, as a Deputy Sheriff, and in 2007 she transitioned to the Fairfax County Police Department. Although most of her career has been in patrol, Meg has held positions in public affairs and crime prevention. Her passion is around community engagement.  She currently serves as the Community Outreach Officer for the Sully District Station.  She is experienced in creating graphics, videos, and flyers, for social media and events.

Meg is one of the agency’s lead instructors for the “Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS)” program. HIPS is an interactive program for adults to be educated about the signs of risky behavior in teens and young adults. It touches on drug and alcohol use, mental health concerns, eating disorders, risky sexual behaviors and more. Meg has been recognized by numerous organizations for her passion and hard work in community outreach.  She recently received three “Faithful Servants” awards that recognized First Responders for their outstanding community work.

Meg also has her own nonprofit, Making Everything Good (M.E.G.), which assists and supports the needs of individuals, families, and organizations associated with public safety, military, veterans, and the local community. Meg is married, and her husband is a retired combat veteran and current firefighter for Fairfax County.

Morgan Butler is a social media expert, photographer, videographer, and creative director, currently serving as the Engagement and Outreach Manager for Public Policy at Twitter. Prior to Twitter, she spent four and a half years as a digital and creative director in Congress managing members’ social media channels and creating content. When she’s not hard at work, Morgan fuels her love of sports by working as an in-house television director at the Capital One Arena for Washington Wizards, and Georgetown Hoyas. She also serves as an adjunct instructor at San Francisco Film School, teaching digital media production and management. Morgan holds a Master of Communications degree from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Grambling State University. When she’s not working, Morgan enjoys watching horror movies, exploring the great outdoors, and spending time with her family and four pets.

A nationally recognized communications and crisis management professional, Anthony Guglielmi has served as the chief communications officer and lead spokesman for three of the nation’s largest police departments, the United States Office of Special Counsel, the Connecticut Board of Parole and the New York State Senate. In his current capacity as Chief of Communications, he is responsible for managing the organizational brand and global communications needs and reach of the United States Secret Service. He also serves as a communications instructor and lecturer for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and US State Department. In March of 2020, he was asked to represent the United States at a State Department sponsored technical assistance trip to help the Haitian National Police Department establish a communications and public engagement function following the withdrawal of UN support services.

Known for building highly functioning and strategic police communications teams in Baltimore, Chicago and Fairfax County, VA, Anthony also served as the Chair of the Public Information Committee for the Major Cities Chiefs Association and Regional Public Information Chair for the International Association of Chiefs of Police. He and his team have managed several national and international media events around high-profile criminal investigations. This includes developing Chicago’s communications and public trust strategy around the 2014 police-shooting of Laquan McDonald; the 2018 active-shooter tragedy at Chicago’s Mercy Hospital and the 2019 prosecution of actor Jussie Smollett for creating a fictional, racially-charged hate crime that galvanized a national outcry. Guglielmi and his team were the architects of a strategic media strategy that assisted detectives to secure a confession from co-conspirators in the Smollett case.

In addition to numerous law enforcement awards, he and his team of police officers in Chicago also became one of the first major city police departments to receive an Emmy award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for the way the agency produced compelling content to connect with the community.