Seven officers advertise as influencers for the Hesse State Police

The Hessian state police force has introduced seven so-called "cop influencers" under the motto "More than blue light". Their aim is to promote the work of law enforcement officers and reach potential applicants on Instagram. They include three inspectors, one chief inspector and three trainee inspectors who are currently completing their studies.

"We want to reach people and show how approachable and likeable our police force is," Roman Poseck (CDU), Hesse's Minister of the Interior, is quoted as saying by dpa. Alongside a YouTube channel and a podcast, this is the third public relations project of the Hesse State Police.

The aim seems to be to give its own public relations work a modern look and to give the police a face. This would allow interested parties to build up a personal relationship with the police officers, as has been the case for years with other influencers in other areas.

Like video series and podcasts, the attempt to advertise with individuals who also share information about themselves outside of their profession is nothing new. Even if Interior Minister Roman Poseck confirms this in a statement published by the Hessian Ministry of the Interior, Security and Homeland Security. As early as 2018, there were already twelve officers who were supposed to represent and promote the police with their personal profiles, reported NDR.

Not the first attempt to reach out to the "youth"

In recent years, several formats have appeared on the YouTube channels of the police or even the German armed forces to promote the service of the state in a contemporary way. For example, the police in NRW, Brandenburg and Saarland have already produced video series in recent years. One of the first attempts, which also received a lot of attention, was the web video series "The Recruits", which was published by the Bundeswehr in 2016.

Since then, there have been new attempts to promote the police and the Bundeswehr on Instagram, YouTube and even Twitch. Most recently, the Hanover Police Department attracted attention when it announced in December 2024 that it would be going live on the Twitch platform with officers to let them stream video games while on duty. In addition to games, the officers' appearances will also cover topics such as fake news and cyberbullying.

Due to the high number of subscribers and views, the German armed forces remain a role model for modern information campaigns by state employers. It operates two channels on both Instagram and YouTube with a combined total of more than two million followers.

(tlz)