Grafton, WI, Discovers the Value of Social Media Archiving

The idea of archiving social media posts was first brought to the attention of Jeff Caponera, Police Chief of Grafton, WI, by his Public Information Officer (PIO). The Village of Grafton had developed a strong social media presence in recent years. With information being hosted on multiple platforms and so many users engaging with the content, the PIO thought the Village should have a manageable way of capturing social activity for records requests. After considering possible solutions, CivicPlus® Social Media Archiving software seemed like the most logical option: the Village already had a CivicPlus Municipal Website, and officials were satisfied with the product and the customer service they received. However, when Caponera and his PIO presented the idea of investing in the software to Grafton’s finance director, village administrator, and other decision-makers, they all decided against it.

“As with any agency, our budgets are very tight. Sometimes, we have to do a juggling act between our needs and our wants,” Caponera says. “At the time, they decided no — we have other priorities. We haven’t had any issues with people coming forward wanting open records requests for social media.”

Just a few weeks later, however, the situation changed. A records request for an important case involving one of Grafton’s schools came in, and its scope turned out to be much larger than the police department could handle manually. Chief Caponera was stunned.

An Essential Investment

With CivicPlus Social Media Archiving software, Grafton’s police department was able to comply promptly with open records laws. Beyond just saving extra time and resources, the software made the request feasible, which is why Jeff Caponera considers it to be essential for the Village.

Not only was Caponera able to complete the request efficiently, the software uncovered comments that users had posted and then deleted. These were important for responding to the request, as people in the community and beyond could have seen them even if staff didn’t.

Furthermore, Caponera appreciates features that enable him to track posts proactively.

“I don’t always see all the posts that come through,” he says. “But I want to make sure I have a good handle on things because I like to be proactive and address things before they become a problem.”

With essential archiving capabilities, many useful features, and no hidden fees, CivicPlus Social Media Archiving software has turned out to be an excellent choice for the Village of Grafton. To learn more about the value this software brings, hear from Chief Caponera himself in our video case study.

Interview with Jeff Caponera, Police Chief of Grafton, WI