Constable’s office loses outreach tool as Parler is shut
Major tech companies pulled the plug on the social media startup Parler just as the Montgomery County Precinct 4 Constable’s Office was carving out a space on Twitter’s nascent right-wing competitor.
A move to Parler had made sense, Pct. 4 spokesman Lt. Jim Slack reasoned last month. Slack, who oversees social media communications for Precinct 4, explained the agency’s presence on Parler marked a renewed commitment by the agency to broaden its conversation with the public.
Parler is “becoming very popular in our area. Because of this, we decided to join Parler. We try to reach asmany as possible in the social media posts, highlighting the incredible work of Constable (Kenneth “Rowdy”) Hayden’s Office,” Slack said Dec. 15, adding the agency is already on Twitter, along with Facebook and Instagram.
But on Monday, Parler became one less home for that mission, as Amazon removed it from its webhosting service. The site is currently unreachable.
Amazon followed Apple and Google, which removed Parler from their app stores. The tech giants were moved to do so out of concern Parler was not moderating content that incited violence by some of its 12 million users.
These actions followed the violent mob that descended on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The raid and its aftermath claimed the lives of five, including one on-duty police officer.
A review late last year of social media accounts held by theMontgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the county’s five constable’s offices showed Precinct 4 was the only one of the local agencies on Parler.
Precinct 4 had minimal activity on the site. As of Jan. 5, therewere four Precinct 4 posts on Parler and its account had 22 followers. All posts, referred to as parleys, were made in October.
“We didn’t use it very often,” Slack said Monday. “Honestly, it
just kept slipping my mind.”
An automated introductory parley dated July 17 shows the account opened months prior.
Parler, which started in September 2018, branded itself as a platform friendly to right-of-center speech. Itwas gaining traction as a refuge for conservatives frustrated by the moderation policies of Twitter and Facebook.
On Friday, President Donald Trump was banned from Twitter as the site cited “a risk of further incitement of violence” as rationale. On the morning of the Capitol riots, Trump urged supporters at a rally outside the White House to march to the congressional
building to “fight much harder” and “show strength.”
Slack made clear on Monday that Precinct 4 was never on Parler for its politics, reiterating the purpose for being on the site was to better inform the public of work by the constable’s office.
“We’re mainly using it to be able to reach more people in general. Just another audience that was untapped currently by us,” Slack said. “I’m sure (others were on it for political reasons), just not us.”
In October, Slack had described its useof Parler as “another avenue.” And Precinct 4’s push to expand lines of communication with the public continues.
“We’re not gonna reach everyone through just one social media channel,” Slack said at the time.
“Like all relationships, communication is probably the most important thing. If you can’t communicate then you can’t have a good relationship with your neighborhood.”
Social media has been a tool for Precinct 4 in netting crime-solving tips, Slack pointed out. The agency has posted on its Facebook surveillance footage capturing images of suspects. On its website, mcc04.org, tipsters can provide information anonymously under the “contact” tab.
Additionally, Slack said Precinct 4’s crime blotter, which features arrests by offense and time, will relaunch within the next two weeks.