Media Relations Office

"The voice of Kingston Police."

Along with the Chief of the Kingston Police, the Media Relations Officer (MRO) is the public face of the organization. The media as a whole are a critical element of Community Policing; they both report on our successes and hold us accountable if necessary. Therefore, it is imperative that the media and the MRO have a trusting and balanced relationship built on transparency. Members of the media must feel reassured that when they contact the MRO regarding a Police action, that they will get the entire, true, and honest story. Conversely, the Police must trust that when a story breaks, the media will contact the MRO as part of their research, to ensure that the details of the Police investigation are included in their story.

To ensure this mutual professional relationship, the MRO will build relationships with members of the media to enhance this needed trust. MROs are on-call to answer media questions for additional information on both breaking and planned events in the City of Kingston. A reliable MRO will also be trusted to write press releases for the media; maintaining this relationship ensures these releases will be unbiased. MROs also extend this trust-building to the public by engaging with citizens directly via social media to ensure public awareness and safety surrounding major events.

Information on Emergency/Major Incidents and Emerging News

Whenever possible Kingston Police will provide information on emergency and major incidents and emerging news. The information is released through direct notification to media agencies and postings to our Website, Facebook and X accounts. If necessary the information will include alert or warning messages and instructions.

The immediate release of information will be dependent on public, victim and officer safety concerns as well as investigative integrity.

Kingston Police Website News Page

Kingston Police Facebook Page

Kingston Police X Page

Media Contact

Members of the News Media may make inquiries through our Media Relations Office. Hours of operation

Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm

613-549-4660 ext. 2288
Email the Media Relations Office

Do you have what it takes?

The Media Relations Officer (MRO) must remain professional and objective at all times. This can be especially difficult when they have to report on the injury or death of anyone, particularly if that person is a colleague. Effective MROs build and maintain trusted relationships with media and the community. They must have a high level of integrity to tell the difficult stories in an unbiased fashion; failure to do so undermines the trust that is the foundation of their position. MROs must be adaptable and adept at multitasking. They need to take in rapidly developing information, distill it into a coherent report, and disseminate that information before the news cycle’s deadline. A successful MRO is confident and adaptable, is a good public speaker, and has a strong moral compass.

The Thin Blue (On)line - A Social Media Documentary on Kingston Police

In 2017/18 Cam Barry was in his 3rd year as a Film and Media major at Queen’s University. In January 2018, Cam was tasked with a project to create a short documentary on something he was interested and passionate about. Cam chose to tell the story on the use of social media by Kingston Police.

When asked about his subject matter Cam stated, “I chose Kingston Police because I've followed their social media accounts since I moved to Kingston a few years ago. These officers and their social media use was an obvious choice for an interesting documentary because everyone has a connection to the amazing things they're doing on multiple platforms. They go above and beyond their call of duty with every post they make and with all the negativity surrounding Police in general in the last few years, its time someone told a story about the amazing things Police can do.”

The filming began in March 2018 and we are pleased to say that Cam earned an “A” for his hard work. Watch the documentary The Thin Blue Online