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Public Safety Tech Under Scrutiny
How PIOs Can Navigate Privacy Concerns, Media Questions and Public Trust

Tuesday, September 29, 2026 | 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET

 
Public safety technology is increasingly part of the public conversation. License plate readers, gunshot detection, real-time crime centers, drones and other tools are regularly debated in the media, at city council meetings and across social media — often with questions about privacy, surveillance, accuracy and how the technology is being used.
 

For public information officers, those questions can quickly become a communications challenge. How do you explain a complex technology in a way the public can understand? How transparent should an agency be about its capabilities and limitations? And what happens when misinformation or an incomplete understanding of the technology begins shaping the story?

This webinar will look at practical approaches PIOs can use to communicate more effectively about public safety technology, regardless of the vendor or platform their agency uses. Drawing on perspectives from experienced PIOs who began their careers in journalism, the discussion will examine how these issues look from both sides of the reporter-agency relationship. The discussion will cover how to explain what a technology does — and what it doesn't — in plain language, communicate proactively before controversy defines the conversation, respond to skeptical media and community stakeholders, and correct misinformation without sounding defensive.

We’ll also explore common missteps in technology communications and how PIOs can avoid them.

Attendees will leave with a practical framework they can use when communicating about privacy, technology and public trust — before, during and after the questions start.

By the end of this webinar, attendees will be able to:

    • Use a practical framework to understand unfamiliar public safety technology and identify the information needed to communicate about it accurately.
    • Translate technical, operational and privacy information into clear, accurate language that media, elected officials and community members can understand.
    • Anticipate likely questions about privacy and technology and prepare communications materials before an issue becomes controversial or newsworthy.
    • Respond effectively to skeptical questions, incomplete information and misinformation while maintaining transparency, credibility and public trust.

Register now to save your spot.

Expert Speakers

Ryan Walsh
Ryan Walsh, Public Information Officer, Springfield Police Department

Ryan Walsh serves as Public Information Officer and Media Relations Specialist for the Springfield Police Department in Massachusetts, where he works with local and national media and helps communicate about major incidents, department initiatives and emerging public safety issues.

Walsh joined the department in 2017 after a career in television journalism at WWLP-22News, where he worked as a sports director, news anchor and investigative reporter. During his time with Springfield Police, Walsh has addressed media and public questions surrounding technologies including body-worn cameras, gunshot detection, surveillance cameras and license plate readers, including questions about transparency, data sharing and how those technologies are used.

Walsh is a graduate of Syracuse University, where he earned a degree in broadcast journalism.

David Procopio
Dave Procopio, Regan Communications, Former Director, Media Communications, for the Massachusetts State Police 

Dave Procopio served as Director of Media Communications for the Massachusetts State Police from 2008 to 2024, serving as the department’s chief spokesperson and public information officer. He oversaw communications involving criminal enforcement, public safety threats, investigative and tactical operations, homeland security, and department administration, as well as the agency’s active social media presence.

The first civilian spokesperson in Massachusetts State Police history, Procopio served under seven State Police Colonels and three Massachusetts Governors. Before joining the department, he was a Vice President at Regan Communications Group and previously served as Press Secretary for the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office, providing daily media updates on criminal investigations and prosecutions.

Procopio began his career as a newspaper reporter and managing editor with the former Journal-Transcript Newspaper Group in Greater Boston.