Supervisor, PIO

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Department

Office of the Chief of Police

Employee Type

Regular

Time Type

Full time

Salary Range

$33.5886 - $43.6652 Hourly / $69,864.29 - $90,823.62 Annually

Job Posting Period

April 16, 2025 - May 02, 2025 12:00 A.M.

Overview

Job Description:

The Public Information Officer (PIO) manages and supervises the Sarasota Police Department's public relations, media outreach, and communication strategies. This supervisory role requires 24/7 availability to respond to critical incidents, public safety situations, and community outreach efforts. The PIO also oversees the department's brand representation, crisis communications, and digital presence, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination of information to the public and media. Provides leadership and supervision to the communications team and works directly with executive leadership to promote transparency, trust, and community partnership.

Essential Functions

• Serves as the primary liaison between the Sarasota Police Department and the media, ensuring consistent and accurate information is shared during routine and crisis situations.
• Creates and maintains positive and productive working relationships with media representatives. Meets one-on-one with reporters and editors to assess needs and interests.
• Prepares news releases, organizes press conferences and provides media interviews, especially in response to high-profile incidents and emergencies.
• Handles crisis communication during severe weather events, mass casualty situations, and other critical events.
• Available 24/7 to respond to media inquiries and critical incidents, including in-person responses during dangerous or sensitive situations.
• Regularly rides along with police officers during calls for service and wears protective gear when required.
• Provides real-time updates to the media and public during ongoing incidents, ensuring the safety and security of shared information.
• Oversees the department's social media website, and other digital content strategies, and leverages this for dissemination of information to the community.
• Organizes, promotes, and attends major public events, as assigned, to publicize the event and update the community.
• Manages sensitive information, including crime scene evidence, videos, and photos, requiring a high level of discretion and professionalism.
• Conducts, analyzes, and evaluates various forms of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to develop public information campaigns that yield measurable results.
• Exposed to highly sensitive and sometimes traumatic information, such as graphic crime scene evidence, requiring emotional resilience and confidentiality.
• Maintains professionalism when handling difficult material and ensures appropriate communication within the department and with external audiences.
• Works closely with law enforcement divisions to align messaging with the department's strategic objectives.
• Trains and advises all Sarasota Police personnel on means and methods to achieve effective media relations.
• Regularly works extra hours, particularly during emergencies or periods of high demand, to meet the department's communication needs.
• Work locations can vary and include extended periods of time outdoors at crime scenes, major events, or emergency situations.
• The intent of this class description is to provide a representative summary of the types of duties and responsibilities that would be required of classifications given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Incumbent may be required to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this job description.
  
  

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university in Public Relations, Communications, Journalism, or a related field,
• Three (3) years experience in print or electronic media or public relations.
  
  

Job Based Competencies

• Ability to communicate effectively with the general public and the media.
• Ability to write in a clear, concise manner, using proper punctuation, spelling and following proper rules of grammar.
• Ability to establish and maintain cooperative relationships with City and County officials, fellow employees, the general public and media.
• Knowledge of the public records law, Chapter 119, Florida State Statutes.
• Ability to work with a minimum amount of supervision.
• Ability to create social media and knowledge of practice and principals of mass communications.
• Ability to be on "on-call" status seven (7) days a week, twenty-four (24) hours per day, and arrive within sixty (60) minutes at most incidents after being requested to respond.
• Knowledge of photography and video/audio equipment and ability to create training videos and webinars.
• Ability to write television scripts and produce, direct and edit a magazine style television program.
• Ability to speak in public and represent the Police Department at numerous City functions.
• Ability to serve as the Public Information Officer liaison for the Sarasota County Emergency Operations Center and the City Operations Center when activated during storms.
  
  

Responsibility

Under the direction of and responsible to the Police Chief or designated representative. Supervises communications staff.

Physical Requirements

This is light work requiring exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and up to 10 pounds of force frequently. Position requires reaching, fingering, talking, and hearing to accurately perceive information at normal spoken word levels. Position requires visual acuity for reviewing, checking, preparing, and maintaining written computer files. Manual dexterity to operate standard office, data entry, and word processing equipment is required.

Public Contact

Extensive public contact; acts in a public relations capacity for the Police Department and the City of Sarasota.

Retirement Benefit

The City of Sarasota made the transition to become a Florida Retirement System (FRS) employer effective December 1, 2021. To learn more about what this benefit may mean for you, please visit MyFrs.com. Please note that if you are hired to work for the City of Sarasota as an FRS employer, you will be asked to complete a form to certify your FRS status, as there may be an impact to any FRS benefit you are already receiving.

I f you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Jake Brown our ADA Coordinator. Jake can be reached via email at Jake.Brown@sarasotafl.gov or via phone at 941-263-6299.

F or questions pertaining to general employment or job application status, please call 941-263-6476, or email HR@sarasotafl.gov