The SMILE Conference®, an international symposium on social media in law enforcement, awarded Nova Scotia RCMP this year’s ConnectedCOPS Award for Social Media Campaign Management at a ceremony in Long Beach, California yesterday.
The award recognizes an agency which has met its goals through a social media campaign to address a significant problem or educational issue. Nova Scotia RCMP was honoured for their music video, “Cop Light Bling”, which raised awareness of Nova Scotia’s An Act to Increase Safety for First Responders and Others, commonly known as the “Move Over” law.
The law makes it an offence to drive faster than 60 km/h or the posted speed limit (whichever is the lesser of the two) when passing a stopped emergency vehicle with its lights flashing. It also requires motorists to change to the lane farthest from the stopped emergency vehicle if that lane is free and it is safe to do so.
“Cop Light Bling” debuted on April 20, 2016 and explains the law through humorous visuals and a soundtrack voiced by Nova Scotia RCMP’s Cst. Mark Skinner.
The video increased public awareness of the law, amassing over 600,000 YouTubeviews and media coverage at local, national and international levels. It also increased compliance with the law, helping emergency responders stay safe on the road. Nova Scotia RCMP is honoured to be recognized by the SMILE Conference® and looks forward to continually evolving the way we connect with local communities to help keep Nova Scotians safe.
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Source: Media Release
