California police have a secret weapon. Not a new helicopter or gun, but a PR firm called Cole Pro Media. And it’s why police have so frequently been able to slide out of sticky situations.
“We … take great pride in our ability to communicate transparent, easily understood, messages about our clients – WITHOUT SPIN,” the firm claims.
But like the police departments they train, they’re making a statement FAR from the honest truth.
From crafting social media posts to editing body cam footage to include only sympathetic points of view, Cole Pro Media and its sister company Critical Incident Videos “[help] law enforcement agencies avoid scrutiny and transparency.” They even draft scripts for police to excuse their use of force to the public!
And speaking of the public, this affects you too – or rather, your wallet.
Each time Cole Pro Media contracts with a law enforcement agency, they’re charging police departments. Those are OUR our tax dollars going to help cops avoid responsibility. Edited body camera footage can cost $5,000 per video!
While facing the brunt of their brutality, police are using OUR money to manipulate narratives about themselves in the media. But we don’t have to listen to their sources or their stories. We do have to think critically for ourselves! The manipulation is happening right under our noses.