The Southlake Department of Public Safety has made some major headlines this year. With the department gaining 20,000 new followers on Facebook, 3,000 new followers on Twitter and even making 6,500 fans on its new Instagram page, Southlake DPS Public Information Officer Brad Uptmore says the department increased its total social following by approximately 58% in 2019.
“We were also on the front page of Reddit – twice,” Uptmore says.
And yet, those were not the only big moves Southlake DPS made this year. As we celebrate a new year and start a new decade, we asked Uptmore what were some of the biggest things to happen to the department in 2019. Read on to get the full rundown and a few chuckles from Southlake DPS’s 2019.
1. City of Southlake Receives PRSA Silver Anvil Award
City of Southlake
The Public Relations Society of North America is a nonprofit trade association that serves the nation’s communications community. Hosting their Silver Anvil Awards in New York over the summer, the city of Southlake won the award for “Most Effective Campaign, $5,000 or Less, Government” at the ceremony, which Uptmore says they received for the department’s “Humanize the Badge” campaign that included witty social media posts and amusing viral videos.
“Our goal was to transition from being less formal and uninviting to a more friendly tone,” Uptmore says in a previous Southlake Style article. “It’s always the best feeling to be recognized for our hard work, and I couldn’t be more proud of this award and how it showcases our Police and Fire Department’s abilities.”
2. Bonnie the Drug-Sniffing Ferret
On most days, K-9 Duco and his handler Nathaniel Anderson would be busy patrolling Carroll ISD campuses and searching the lockers. However, in May, School Resource officer Anthony Pate was patrolling Dawson Middle School with a ferret named Bonnie. Southlake DPS tweeted the video of Anthony and Bonnie searching the lockers with a message saying “it’s just another wonderful day in Southlake.”
Uptmore says while Bonnie wasn’t actually trained to detect illegal substances, that didn’t stop the video from reaching 2.6 million views and 4 million people.
3. Neverending Story/Stranger Things Parody
Southlake DPS is known for posting a lot of wild videos and parodies on their social media – including the recently released "Frozen" and "Joker" mashup parody in November. However, the department’s "Neverending Story" and "Stranger Things" parody got an unexpected Twitter fan: “Stranger Things” actor Gaten Matarazzo.
In the video, Cpl. Blas Hernandez and dispatcher Jessica Schreiber parody the moment in the season three finale of "Stranger Things" where Gaten’s character Dustin sings “The Neverending Story” with Gabriella Pizzolo’s Suzie. Gaten responded to Southlake DPS’s video, saying the duo performed “amazing” on the cover.
4. Texas Ranger Hunter Pence Pays A Visit
In August, Southlake DPS published a video showing Southlake Police Chief James Brandon traveling through the police station seeing every officer and dispatcher wearing knee-high socks around every corner. And it was no wonder why: the Texas Rangers’ designated hitter Hunter Pence was showing them how to wear his iconic socks. Uptmore says he had been a fan of Pence for years and was excited to team up with him for 15 minutes to film the video.
“During that brief period, he was gung ho, open to what we wanted, and very complimentary about the video,” Uptmore says. “He even thanked us for our service and was a real class act. He blew away all expectations.”
5. Be On The Lookout Posts
One of the most notable features of Southlake DPS is its “be on the lookout” posts, where they inform the public on suspects to be aware of from alleged crimes. Posting pictures of pilfering prepsters and Best Buy Bamboozlers next to a crafty breakdown of the alleged incidents, Uptmore says the posts have helped identify 49% of “bad guys” this year.
“There is so much that happens in the police and fire world that the public isn't normally privy to,” Uptmore says in a previous Southlake Style article. “With Chief Brandon's vision and the miracle of social networks, we are able to disperse those situations to the public.”