By Kelly Roy King
They’re not rich nor famous, but they’re on television quite often.
Public information officers supply the press with information regarding every crime or accident.
“I really enjoy working with the press and most of the media has been good to me,” said Capt. Cody Cullimore of the Lindon and Pleasant Grove Police.
Being a public information officer has its advantages, said Chris Kramer, director of public relations for the Utah Highway Patrol.
“There’s a lot of freedom and flexibility and every day is different, Kramer said.
“On Monday I might be up in a helicopter with search and rescue. On Tuesday, I might be on a case using DNA evidence, On Wednesday covering a multi-car accident with emergency medical technicians. On Thursday, doing Olympic planning and security, and on Friday, sitting at a computer and working on the Internet site.”
Feeding the media information is the main purpose of a PIO.
“It’s being able to get the information out there and making sure what is released to the media is factual, not rumors or portions of the story,” Cullimore said. “I like being able to let people know exactly what happened.”
Kramer said he thinks being a PIO is important to help people make decisions.
“People get frustrated when they can’t get information about the situation,” Kramer said. “If you can provide information to people it helps them make wise decisions and what courses of action they should take.”
Providing the public with information of things going on in their community is rewarding, said Lt. Doug Edwards, Orem public information officer.
Being a PIO also has its drawbacks though, Kramer said.
“You’re not going to get rich working for the state government,” Kramer said. “I’m also often called at all hours by media that need a story and information. They don’t understand we have normal hours.”
Being misquoted is one of the problems information officers have to deal with.
“There’s times when I’ll give information and it isn’t reported correctly,” said Lehi Assistant Chief Chad Smith.
Information officers also have to be good in front of the camera, Smith said.
“I don’t like the feeling of being on edge all the time,” Smith said. “There’s no room for (mistakes) and no second chances.”
Covering bad news isn’t very fun, Edwards said.
“It’s never fun to report bad news,” Edwards said. “I don’t like to read, hear or deal with suffering, particularly children that suffer. Anything that involves children tugs at the heart strings of parents and officers.”
Edwards said he enjoys reporting on good news. The baby that was saved in the canal by Lance and Peggy Wilson of Ogden is the kind of story Edwards likes to report.
“I like reporting stories that turned out good but could have been bad,” Edwards said.
