In March 2008, Officer Mike McCoy set up a blog for the Houston Police Department. Little did he know that he’d garner a devoted readership, local media attention and a steady stream of new recruits during the next two years. Currently McCoy still uses Blogger along with YouTube, Facebook and Twitter as a means to recruit new officers, giving his department a type of exposure that didn’t exist before.

While a few other departments do run recruiting type blogs, none have been as successful as the Houston Police Department’s, which updates almost daily. McCoy, who joined the force in 1982, answered a few questions for us between blogging and patrolling Houston’s streets.

Has using the blog as a recruiting tool proved beneficial? Should other departments venture into the blogosphere to find new recruits?

Absolutely it has helped. When I started the blog two years ago, I only had a few fans a day. I now see upwards of 1,500 hits a day.

When I see the actual applicant show up at our office, many of them tell me that the blog humanized the department, and they were able to relate to the department much more than without it. To be able to see humor and inside information about HPD is like no other police department and in some cases the direct reason they chose HPD.

What’s the biggest misconception new recruits have about becoming a police officer?

I would say that the applicant’s believe they can go right into a specialized division or unit without having to put time in on the streets. In reality, everyone must patrol the streets as a police officer for at least two years before they are allowed to put in for a specialized division or unit.

You have a series of posts on the blog entitled ‘Don’t Bother Applying,’ but when should someone seriously NOT consider the police officer route?

This is a special job that takes a special person. Not everyone can do this job. You must have courage and a personality that can handle stressful situations. Not every day is stressful or dangerous, but you must be able to adapt when it does occur. You must be able to communicate effectively and have a high attention to detail.

If you cannot handle seeing a dead body — especially that of a child or handle the sight of blood — do not apply. We can train you in most cases. However, the occurrences that I just listed, you cannot be trained to handle. You as a person must be able to adapt and conquer.

There’s been a lot of talk of mall cops recently with movies such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Observe and Report. Do you have any beef with mall cops … especially when they try to imitate trained police officers?

As long as they do THEIR job, I have no problem whatsoever with mall cops. They are there to help and protect. I would hate to see one get hurt by trying to do a trained police officers job. They are great individuals, and they have a job to do like we do. However, they just must realize their limits and adhere to them.
Here’s a few interview clips with McCoy back in 2008 where he talks about the hiring policies of his department as well as other questions, realities and concerns.