Laura McElroy
Principal Consultant
Laura is one of nine experts across the country that the U.S. Department of Justice asked to conduct a critical incident review of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. She is also a member of the Independent Monitoring Team of the Chicago Police Department. She works with the Monitor’s Community Engagement Team to ensure community members have a voice in reforming their police department. Laura shares best practices in her field as an instructor with the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute of Police, SMIP. She also serves as a subject matter expert for the U. S. Department of Justice, CNA’s Institute for Public Research, Major Cities Chiefs Association, the National Training and Technical Assistance Center, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Through these organizations, she develops strategic communications plans and conducts executive-level training, working with law enforcement agencies around the country, installing best practices in crisis communication, media relations, social media, and community outreach. After assessing an agency’s current program, Laura designs and helps implement progressive solutions that ultimately grow the agency’s relationships with the media and the community it serves.
Featured Work
DOJ selects McElroy for review of Uvalde School Shooting
During her tenure with the Tampa Police Department, Laura led the multi-agency Joint Information Center for the 2012 Republican National Convention, comprised of more than a hundred Public Information Officers. The Center used social media to improve the perception of law enforcement during the convention, which historically generates negative publicity for agencies. The photographs posted on social media helped set the tone of local and national stories about the event. Four years earlier, Laura led the Joint Information Center for Super Bowl XLIII. Her six-month media campaign created positive publicity for local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
What People Are Saying
“Laura has trained every officer of every rank at our agency on how to build trust with our community. The training has also helped us establish better working relationships with the local media. She has continued to help us during critical incidents to ensure we keep our public informed without compromising officer safety. She is the best at what she does.“
Deputy Chief Jeff Meyers | Fort Meyers Police Department“Laura’s tenacity, journalistic values and her drive to be the best made her one of my top reporters in my newsroom. When she moved into the role of media relations, she helped reporters tell accurate and compelling stories about the police department. In my 30 years in broadcasting, she is one of the best media relations directors with whom I’ve worked.“
Dave Ciliberti | News Director WFLA News Channel 8“Laura was great partner during Super Bowl XLIII and the 2012 Republican National Convention. She built an impressive media plan and it worked.”
Dave Couvetier | FBI Tampa Field Office