Laura Montagna will be doing double duty as EPD PIO and CSET Homeless Liaison

 

Media and the community are invited to the change of command, promotion and awards ceremony today. We already know EPD Chief Brian Stephens will officially take over today. Congratulations to everyone being promoted and receiving awards. 

There is a something I learned about yesterday because I happened to ask about the PIO position and whether it was a specific person. Brittany Powell and Katie Hill are a tough act to follow. And who the next PIO would be is important to me. Effective today,  CSET Homeless Liaison Laura Montagna will also be the EPD PIO.

There is livestream of the ceremony on the EPD Facebook page. In the screenshot below outgoing EPD Chief Todd Jarvis is speaking. Seated next to him is soon to be EPD Chief Stephens, Pastor Andy Broese Van Groenou, Eureka Mayor Kim Bergel and Eureka Mayor Miles Slattery. 

 

I have known Laura for years before she joined EPD as a documentary maker, regular reader of my blog and I met her during my coverage of the Brandon Watson trial. She will be doing double duty. 

HCSO has yet to hire a PIO and it is looking like they also have staff doing double duty. Having a full time PIO is really important. While  I appreciate both EPD and HCSO's efforts, with HCSO sometimes I am waiting 10 days or more for a booking photo and with EPD, since the days of former EPD Chief Steve Watson, press releases and responses need to be responded to sooner; not days later because detectives or administration wants to micromanage. It is called live reporting for a reason.