ABSTRACT
Crisis communicators and scholars distinguish between natural and human-caused hazards (including arson, industrial accidents, and terrorism). However, the “all-hazard” approach to disaster preparedness used throughout the United States and internationally does not distinguish between messages that instruct recipients to take a specific action, such as “evacuate” or “shelter-in-place” (which we call “actionable alerts”) and messages that instruct recipients to intensify their observations or awareness (which we call “idle alerts”). This chapter explores the social significance and implications of idle alerts related to law enforcement. Whether delivered via mass media, social media, or mobile technology, we argue that law enforcement-related idle alerts function to affirm preferred social values and reinforce power-laden social relations. To support this claim, the chapter provides examples of idle alerts concerning threats to law enforcement personnel and campus crime. These examples illustrate the value of critical-cultural research perspectives for crisis communication and social media scholars who are interested in the social dynamics of public alert and warning.
