TJ Smith

Current: Director, Media Relations- Baltimore Police Department Former: Director of Media Relations at the Anne Arundel County Police Department Executive Officer for the Chief of Police Communications adviser for the Chief of Police and other government officials, more than 10 years’ experience as a trained Crisis/Conflict Negotiator, proficient in Social Media, Marketing, Videography, Crisis Communication, Management/Leadership, Voice-over and Public Speaking. Additional responsibilities include on camera interviews with Washington D.C. and Baltimore television stations, radio and print interviews with the same. Vetting information for press distribution on a daily basis. Working knowledge of and adherence to the Maryland Public Information Act. The Media Relations Office has implemented a strategic plan to exponentially increase the agency’s presence on social media, which now also includes the use of Instagram and YouTube. The role of a Police Department’s Media Relations Office is to alert the community to dangerous situations, to work closely with the media and the community to solve crimes, gaining the public’s trust and to act in the role of a “police reporter”, telling stories about the Police Department that would otherwise not be known by citizens. In short, the community deserves to know the activities of its Police Department. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Center for Social Media recently recognized the Anne Arundel County Police Department as a top 10 agency among the most Facebook “likes” in a category that actually placed the agency with the largest police departments in the country. In addition, the agency is among the top in the entire Washington and Baltimore Metropolitan region in terms of total social media presence. The new strategy has taken the Police Department’s social media presence to new heights while being viewed by the community and the media as trusted resources.