Media Guide
HOW TO USE THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ACTION KIT: MEDIA GUIDE
The Law Enforcement Action Kit is designed to help agencies publicize local Click It or Ticket
Mobilization activities and build support for these lifesaving efforts within the local community. The
Kit’s template materials include a public service announcement (PSA), opinion editorial, letter to the
editor, news advisory, news release and talking points. Note: the template (fill-in-the-blank) pieces are
on the disk included in your folder and are also available online at www.enforcementsaveslives.org
(click on the Download Materials tab).
Here is a suggested timeline for media outreach for the Click It or Ticket Mobilization and pointers for
executing the “ideal” media strategy. Our hope is to offer support to experienced public relations
professionals and helpful guidelines to those new to media outreach.
Timeline
PSA Send 2 Op-ed Send Letter to the Editor News Advisory Fax News Release Fax to
weeks prior to 10 days prior Send 1 week prior if to media 3-4 days media on the first day
activities to activities op-ed is unsuccessful prior to activities of activities
Public Service Announcement: Send the PSA script to public affairs or public service announcement
directors at local radio and TV stations two weeks prior to the Click It or Ticket Mobilization. Make
follow-up calls to ask if they received the PSA and to encourage them to use it.
Opinion Editorial (Op-ed): Ten days prior to your launch, fax the op-ed to the editorial page editor at
your local paper. Follow up with a phone call to express the importance of informing the public that the
Click It or Ticket Mobilization is happening. The optimal time for placement is just before or during the
first week of the campaign.
Letter to the Editor: If you are unlikely to get an op-ed printed, or if you have a second newspaper in
your community, mail or fax a letter to the editor roughly one week prior to the Click It or Ticket
Mobilization. Encourage community partners to submit a letter to the editor in support of your efforts.
News Advisory: Past experience shows that a strong “enforcement” message (vs. a “safety” message)
elicits the best response from the media and supports the enforcement messaging of the campaign. So,
when tailoring the advisory, be sure to focus on your enforcement activities. Three to four days before
your activities start, fax the advisory to TV, radio and newspaper outlets. Send it to the assignment desk
or news director, unless you have established relationships with reporters. Make follow-up calls to each
outlet to ask reporters to cover the campaign.
News Release: Again, tailor the template release to emphasize your agency’s enforcement activities.
Seat belt and child safety checkpoints, saturation patrols, zero-tolerance mandates, and other stepped-up
enforcement efforts are especially newsworthy. Fax the release to TV, radio and newspaper outlets on
the morning of the day when your activities begin and follow up to see if they need more information. If
you are requesting that the media attend a press event or your checkpoint, be sure you have enough news
releases with you at your event to give to the reporters. Following the event, fax the release to those
reporters you had expected to, but did not, attend the news event.
Talking Points: The template talking points are for anyone in your agency who will be speaking to the
media and other audiences. These are the points to make when trying to interest a reporter in your efforts
and they are the comments spokespeople can make when conducting an interview. The more closely
every law enforcement agency adheres to these talking points, the stronger the overall, national message
that reaches the public. Everyone hears and understands the same thing.
(over)
STAGING A SUCCESSFUL
CLICK IT OR TICKET MOBILIZATION MEDIA EVENT
A media event involves inviting the media to a specific checkpoint, enforcement activity, or stand-up
news conference. Here is a basic “how-to” guideline for staging your media event.
What’s the Main Message of the Event and Who Should Communicate It?
Mobilization Message: Your agency is joining a nationwide crackdown on unbelted teens and
young adults, and where possible, partnering with the military bases in your area. From May 24 –
June 6, agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia will sharply intensify enforcement of
child passenger safety and seat belt laws in an effort to save lives. All across the country, law
enforcement’s message is the same: Teens are dying at higher rates in crashes because they are
caught in a lethal intersection of inexperience, risk taking and low seat belt use. The tragedies
are predictable, and therefore preventable.
Spokespeople: Assign spokespeople to communicate this message at the event. Ideally, one
assigned officer should be on-hand to respond to the media, give the Click It or Ticket message, and
describe the activities your agency has scheduled. Also consider having a spokesperson who is
fluent in Spanish available for Hispanic media inquiries.
What Should You Think About When Planning a Media Event?
What: Ideally your local news event will feature a child restraint and/or seat belt enforcement
checkpoint. If you cannot conduct a checkpoint, feature another visible enforcement activity, like a
saturation patrol at a designated intersection. You can also hold a more formal news conference to
launch your Click It or Ticket Mobilization effort and offer the media ride-alongs with officers who
are stepping up enforcement. Note: Child safety seat clinics should be considered only as a
supplement to the enforcement activity.
When: To inform the media of the week’s ongoing enforcement activities, the event should take
place as close to the beginning of the Click It or Ticket Mobilization week as possible. The best time
to schedule your event is mid-morning, ideally around 10:00 a.m.
Where: Make sure to pick a site where there will be enough traffic activity. If you are holding a
stand-up news conference in conjunction with a checkpoint, make sure the checkpoint serves as the
backdrop to the event. Ideally, the location will add relevance. For example, consider having the
checkpoint near a high school.
Who: Your agency’s enforcement activities should be the focus of the event. You can also partner
with other agencies to demonstrate a community-wide and thus larger enforcement presence.
What Should the Event Look Like?
Signage: Displaying the Click It or Ticket Mobilization banner is key because it reinforces the
message that your agency is part of a major nationwide effort. Hang banners in the most visible
place possible. Keep in mind that cameras will want to get footage of officers writing tickets to
drivers, and the banner should be in that shot. Some ideas are to display the banner on both sides of
the street facing the checkpoint, on the windshield or side of a police cruiser, or on a fence/wall
behind the passenger side of cars going through the checkpoint.
Law Enforcement Presence: Invite your entire traffic unit or patrol to attend the media event and
have the officers participate in the checkpoint. Ask them to park their cruisers or motorcycles
nearby. These law enforcement vehicles reinforce the message and are great visuals for TV news.
Given the special emphasis on young drivers and the partnership with the armed forces this May, we
encourage you to invite the college and/or university police and the military police from your
community.