“The RCMP Trained Killer Horses”: Misinformation in Public Policing

The spread of misinformation is rapidly undermining the value of information received in response to police interactions with the public. Objective facts are often reported by police agencies only after a false narratives have already gone viral in the public domain. To date, this alarming trend has received little scholarly attention. Thus, in the present study, we draw on interviews with sixty-five (n=65) police officers from across Canada to better understand the collateral consequences that misinformation can have on the police institution and personnel. Analysis of this data permits us to examine the previously unexplored institutional and personal costs of misinformation on police services and individual officers. To help flesh out this analysis, we also present some examples of recent misinformation related to public policing and consider the steps taken to correct false stories. Based on our findings, we emphasize the need for police and policymakers to explore how best to identify and combat public safety-related misinformation online.