INDUSTRIES / PUBLIC SAFETY
Steady, Credible Communication for Connecticut Public Safety Agencies
When an incident unfolds, your community, your people and the media all want answers at once. We help police, fire, EMS, emergency management and 911 leaders communicate clearly, accurately and within the limits of the law, on routine days and on the hardest ones.
EXPERIENCE
20+ Years
SUPPORT
24/7 On-Call
OWNERSHIP
Locally Owned in Wethersfield, Connecticut
The Challenges
The Challenges You Face
Public safety has always depended on public trust. What's changed is the speed. Bystander video, scanner pages and community groups can set the story before your first statement, often while your PIO is still working the incident.
Critical Incidents in Real Time
A use of force, a fatal fire or a major crash can be on social media within minutes. The first hour shapes how the public understands everything that follows.
Video Release and Accountability Rules
Connecticut requires body cameras for all police officers and sets deadlines measured in hours for releasing use-of-force video on request. The Inspector General independently investigates police use of deadly force. Explaining the process matters as much as meeting the deadline.
Rumors and Social Media
Scanner pages and community Facebook groups move fast and don't wait for confirmation. A false claim about an arrest, a fire or a missing child can spread across town before you can verify the facts.
Recruitment and Retention
Connecticut's volunteer firefighter ranks have dropped by more than 60% since 2017, and police departments, 911 centers and ambulance services are competing for the same small pool of applicants.
Community Trust and Transparency
Only 45% of Americans say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the police. Trust is built on ordinary days, through openness and visible connection, long before a hard day tests it.
Alerts That Reach Everyone
Storms, evacuations, shelter-in-place orders and road closures need warnings that are short, clear and repeated across channels. Nearly one in four Connecticut residents speaks a language other than English at home.
Our Approach
How We Help
We work as an extension of your command staff and public information team, supporting the chief, the PIO and your municipal leaders. We never replace your official spokesperson, and we always respect operational and legal limits. Each service below is part of our full lineup on the Services page.
Strategy Critical Incident Communication Planning
Solves: Critical Incidents · Video Release and Accountability
We build the communication side of your critical incident response: pre-approved holding statements, a clear approval chain, legal review checkpoints, a video release communication plan, line-of-duty death protocols and 24/7 on-call support when something happens.
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Media Media Training for Chiefs and PIOs
Solves: Critical Incidents · Community Trust
On-camera training for police and fire chiefs, EMS and emergency management directors, and PIOs, led by a former news anchor and chief investigator. We run realistic mock briefings and tough interviews so your leaders are calm, clear and credible when it counts.
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Media + Strategy Incident Communication Support
Solves: Critical Incidents · Alerts That Reach Everyone
During a major incident or planned event, we work alongside your PIO and within your Joint Information Center structure, under the direction of your incident commander. We draft releases, prepare briefings, track media inquiries and monitor rumors.
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PR + Content Social Media and Community Engagement
Solves: Rumors and Social Media · Community Trust
We help you become the first and most trusted source: a steady social media presence, a clear rumor-response process, community meeting preparation, and storytelling that shows the people behind the badge and the helmet.
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Content + Design Recruitment Campaigns and Video
Solves: Recruitment and Retention
Recruitment videos, social media campaigns, career page content and printed materials for officers, firefighters, EMTs, paramedics and telecommunicators, career and volunteer, plus internal storytelling that helps you keep the people you've trained.
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Strategy + Design Public Alerts, Outreach and Annual Reports
Solves: Alerts That Reach Everyone · Community Trust
Plain-language, translation-ready alert templates for the systems you already use, preparedness campaigns, and annual reports that show residents what their public safety agencies do and how they're doing it.
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Why Us
Why Agencies Choose Caron Communications
Up to 50% savings compared with hiring a full-time Director of Communications
Newsroom Experience on Your Side
Caron Communications was founded in 2025 by Matt Caron, a former FOX61/CW20 news anchor, chief investigator and political reporter who previously worked at WWLP 22News and earned three Emmy nominations. We know what reporters will ask, because we've been on the other side of the camera. Read Our Story.
Here When It Happens
Incidents don't keep office hours. With 24/7 on-call support, you reach our team day or night.
Local and Accountable
Locally owned and operated in Wethersfield, Connecticut. We know Connecticut's newsrooms and the state's expectations for transparency.
One Team, Fully In-House
All of our services are 100% in-house, and you get access to our entire team.
Flexible and Budget-Conscious
Choose a monthly retainer or a single project. Agencies can save up to 50% compared with hiring a full-time Director of Communications, which matters when every position has to be justified at budget time.
In Practice
Example: How We'd Handle a Critical Incident and Video Release
Example Scenario This is an illustration of our approach to a common situation, not a client case study, testimonial or legal advice.
An officer-involved shooting is one of the hardest days an agency and a community can face. Here's how we'd help your team communicate through the first hours and the first week, including the release of body camera video.
Before
Plan before it happens.
We help you write a critical incident communication protocol: who speaks, who approves, pre-approved holding statements, and how you'll coordinate with the Office of Inspector General, the State's Attorney and your legal counsel. Everyone knows the state's video release timelines before they apply.
During
Get the first statement out fast.
A short holding statement goes out on your official channels: what happened in general terms, whether there's any ongoing danger to the public, that an independent investigation is underway, and when the next update will come. No names before families are notified, and no speculation.
Prepare for the first briefing.
We prepare the chief or PIO with verified facts, likely questions and clear lines about what can't be discussed yet and why. Partner agencies agree in advance on who speaks to what, so the public hears one consistent account.
Monitor and correct.
We track bystander video, scanner pages and community groups, answer clear falsehoods with verified facts and point people to your official updates, without arguing or getting ahead of investigators.
Prepare for the video release.
Connecticut law sets short deadlines for releasing use-of-force video on request, and in deadly-force cases the Inspector General has released footage itself within days. We help you coordinate timing, brief your officers, elected officials and community leaders beforehand, and explain the process in plain language, without narrating or spinning the footage.
After
Stay with the community.
Updates continue on a regular schedule as the investigation moves forward, in the languages your community speaks, with meetings alongside neighborhood, faith and civic leaders when appropriate.
Support your people and review.
Your officers and staff hear updates from you first, with information about peer support. Afterward comes an honest review of the communication response and updated templates for next time.
Related reading: Our guide to the first hour of a crisis →
Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
We already have a PIO, or the chief handles the media. Why would we need outside help?
Many agencies have one PIO, often with other duties, or a chief doing it alongside everything else. We support your team rather than replace it, adding capacity during major incidents, media training, recruitment campaigns, and video and design work.
Can you help when video is released or an investigation is underway?
Yes. We help you plan the timing, prepare your spokesperson and explain the process to your community in plain language. We respect the limits set by investigators, prosecutors and the Office of Inspector General, work alongside your legal counsel and never release investigative information.
How quickly can you respond in a crisis?
We offer 24/7 on-call support, so you reach our team directly and we can help with your first statement right away. The best response starts before an incident, so we also help you prepare holding statements and an approval process.
How do you work with agencies, and what does it cost?
Every agency is different, so we offer monthly retainers or single projects, such as a recruitment campaign, a media training day or a critical incident communication plan. Agencies can save up to 50% compared with hiring a full-time Director of Communications. A free consultation is the best way to scope what you need.
More questions? Visit our FAQs or read our latest Insights.
Free Consultation
Let's Talk About Your Agency
Whether you're rebuilding your recruiting pipeline, preparing your chief for the next briefing or want a critical incident plan in place before you need it, start with a free, no-pressure conversation.