Handing out traffic tickets, Cst. Curtis Warnar of the Regina Police Service isn't met with a lot of gratitude.
"Very rarely in the last three years that I've worked in the unit do I ever get a genuine, heart-felt, ‘Thank you for giving me a ticket’, or 'I really appreciate I have to pay a fine now.'"
But he's found a way to engage with the public that earns more positive attention than flashing red-and-blues in a rear-view mirror.
"Maybe the next time I do stop somebody they follow me on Twitter, and say 'Hey, you know, I appreciate this and I know why you're doing it,' as opposed to the people who are constantly upset and want to blame us for why they were speeding or why they didn't stop at the stop sign."
Constable Warnar's online efforts are part of a collective effort by Regina Police Service.
Today, 16 Twitter accounts are associated with RPS, including ‘rpstrafficunit’, Cst. Warnar's Twitter handle.
Together, they have nearly 40,000 followers, with most eyes on the official Regina Police Service account.
"People appreciate having the ability to reach out and ask a question and get a response. I think that people very much like that,” Cst. Warnar told CTV News, “They may not always be happy with the response, but we certainly do our best to respond in a timely way and to give a plain and honest answer."
For Cst. Warnar, not every incident requires a tweet. He sends messages that warn of collisions, informs followers of traffic initiatives and bad driving behaviour -- like driving while intoxicated, or not wearing a seat belt.
And for those who might argue an officer pulling over to type a tweet is a bit of a waste of time –
"I would draw the comparison with an officer being on the beat, walking downtown and taking the time to talk to passersby, or stop in to see business owners."
Twitter is really just a new approach to community policing, knowing the people you serve, and ensuring they know who is behind the badge, and the Twitter handle.
