PR FAIL of the Week| Bellaire Police Department

Texas Police Department Remains Mum

Although this story is more than a week old, the continued silence of the Bellaire Police Department speaks louder than words and has kept this story in the news.  On December 31th, Robbie Tolan, son of baseball-great Bobby Tolan, was shot in his own driveway by a member of the Bellaire Police Department.    Robbie Tolan and his cousin were returning home from a late night run to Jack-In-The-Box when two unidentified police officers ordered them to stop and get on the ground.  Tolan’s parents heard the commotion and came outside to investigate.  The Bellaire Police Department will only say that an “altercation” took place but Tolan’s family say that one of the officers pushed Tolan’s mother up against a wall.  Tolan began to lean up from the ground and asked what the officers were doing and he was shot in the chest.  The bullet went through one lung and stuck in his liver.

Both the police department and the district attorney are investigating the case but are not commenting publicly.  The only comment made by the police department is lacking in every way possible:

“Anytime someone is injured we take it very seriously,” said Byron Holloway, Assistant Chief of the Bellaire Police Department. “But any allegation of racial profiling, I don’t think that’s going to float.”

Apparently the officers believed Tolan’s SUV to be stolen but it’s unclear how the officers came to that conclusion.  Unless the Bellaire police department can come up with a convincing argument as to why the officers thought the car was stolen I think this was a prime example of a DWB (Driving While Black), and the officers responsible should do serious jail time.  But as I’m beginning to see red let’s turn the conversation back to public relations and look at the statement above.

First of all, the statement should not have come from the Assistant Chief, but the Chief of Police.  Secondly, the Hollowaay does not show an ounce of empathy for the Tolan family.  A “in our thoughts and prayers” statement would have gone a long way (even it it wasn’t true).  Finally, simply saying that racial profiling did not take place does not float.  When all of the facts make it look like racial profiling took place, the police department needs to provide some evidence to prove their point.  As it reads, the statement sounds defensive and lack credibility.

What people and organizations often fail to grasp is that it is not the initial screw-up that gets you in hot water, it’s the subsequent cover-up.  Tell it all, tell it fast, and tell the truth.

Does your company need a public relations firm to keep you out of hot-water?  MMI Associates is a public relations firm located in Raleigh, NC.  Please visit the MMI Associates website for more information.  Any questions?  Give us a call at (919) 233 – 6600.

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