Built communications strategy and materials to restrict the use of police attack dogs in California

Client: ACLU California Action, Fall 2023 – Spring 2024 

Project: Create a strategic campaign, messaging framework, and materials to raise awareness about the need to strictly restrict police attack dogs in California. 

Objective: To advance strong and stall faulty/weak legislation on the issue of police attack dogs in the state. 

Components: Built a multi-month campaign plan, drafted an extensive internal message guidance hub with both headline, topline talking points and nuanced, deep-dive messaging, crafted press pitches, blog posts, op-ed materials, emails to members, a petition to lawmakers, provided social media guidance, and successfully pitched materials to key outlets. 

Results: Building on critical groundwork work done in years prior, and working together with the brilliant ACLU staff, we placed a story about the ACLU’s report on attack dogs in the L.A. Times, crafted emails and petition page action to California ACLU members that generated thousands of messages from constituents to lawmakers in favor of strong restrictions for police attack dogs, drafted a blog post that spelled out the problems with newly introduced weak bills on police attack dogs, and supported key allies in placing an op-ed on police attack dogs in the Sacramento Bee. 

Real world impact: Both weak bills on police attack dogs, which would have made the problem worse and more entrenched, were successfully stalled and died committee in the 2024 legislative session. There are now more robust materials, greater awareness, and firmer partnerships in place for the need for strong legislation on police attack dogs heading into the 2025 legislative session.