Summary:

The Police Public Relations Specialist is responsible for developing, coordinating, and executing the VCU Police Department’s communications goals, objectives, strategies, and tactics - keeping messaging aligned with university messaging to reach internal and external audiences. This includes students, faculty, staff, parents, prospective students, alumni, community leaders, neighbors, and media. This position reinforces the university’s commitment to safety, allowing the university and health system communities to feel safe while they live, work, and learn on campus. Communications should increase the public perception of safety both on campuses and in the surrounding communities.

The position is part of the award-winning VCU Public Relations team and works directly with the AVP of Public Safety/Chief of Police and the police executive leadership team. The position reports to the director of Public Relations and is housed in the VCU Police Department. The position participates in daily meetings with the police and the PR team. This position is primarily an in-person role, working out of VCU Police headquarters.

Typical Duties

• Serving as the strategic lead on public safety communications for VCU and VCU Health in consultation with the Chief of Police and Enterprise Marketing and Communications.

• Managing media relations for VCU Police, including preparing key messages and supporting information for police designees, responding to requests from local, state, national, and student news organizations, and pitching stories on department initiatives, investigations, and other strategic communications priorities.
• Writing news releases, media advisories, and feature articles for VCU News (news.vcu.edu).

• Writing articles for state, national, and international industry publications for public safety.

• Writing messaging for VCU’s website, the LiveSafe app, mass emails from police, and the police department’s website.

• Writing and executing annual and ad hoc communications plans for police and emergency management.

• Issuing VCU Alert mass emails in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Act and updating the VCU Alert website. Maintaining and updating VCU Alert templates.

• Providing executive communications support for VCU Police leadership, such as talking points, presentations and speeches.

• Managing and creating content for VCU Police social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Threads, and YouTube. Answering questions and concerns on these platforms. Working with the university’s social media team for social media listening.

• Serving as VCU’s Joint Information Center (JIC) and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) communications liaison with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for events and major incidents in the Richmond region.

• Collaborating with police and PR leadership for issues and crisis management.

• Sharing 24/7 on-call duty rotation with other PR staff members to handle police, university, and health system media relations and communications. Updating the PR team’s on-call procedures with PR leadership.

• Creating, editing, and reviewing VCU Police content and products to reflect VCU’s brand standards.

• Photographing events; managing logistics and content creation and/or editing for photography, video projects, and graphics packages. Publishing photos, graphics, and videos in compliance with ADA standards for website and social media content.

• Working knowledge of releasing sensitive information in accordance with investigative needs and federal and state laws, including FERPA, HIPAA, the Clery Act, and Virginia FOIA.

• Marketing job opportunities for VCU Police using paid ads, to include billboards, radio ads, and social media advertisements. Writing copy, creating graphics, and reviewing ad metrics with police leadership.

• Collaborating with police staff to develop and promote outreach and engagement activities.

• Writing and/or editing award applications for local, state, national, and international awards in the fields of communications and public safety.

• Creating and updating miscellaneous digital and print collateral for the department.