On January 15th, 2022 an international terrorist entered the Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, and took 4 people hostage, including the Rabbi, kicking off an 11-hour standoff with local, state, and federal authorities. The FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team eventually breached the building and fatally wounded the suspect. Colleyville PD’s Public Information Officer (PIO) will discuss the case and lessons learned about communications.
Sergeant Dara Nelson has 9 years of law enforcement experience with the Colleyville Police Department. Sgt. Nelson has served as a Field Training Officer, she co-founded the Department’s Guardian Wellness Program, and serves as the Services Sergeant supervising School Resource Officers, Code Enforcement, Bailiff, and more.
Public speaking has always come easily to Dara and she has grown to understand the importance of having a strong social media presence in policing, which led to her interest in the Public Information Officer (PIO) role at her Department. In June 2021, Dara completed the Strategic PIO course hosted by the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration (ILEA), and soon began writing press releases for her Department. In January 2022, Dara served as the PIO for the first, and most far-reaching, terrorist incident in the city of Colleyville’s history. She has since conducted a debrief and overview of the incident for the Major Cities Chiefs Association PIO Committee, she has spoken in the Emergency Public Information and Warning Seminar for the Houston Region CCTA Seminar Series, presented at the International Association of Chiefs of Police PIO Midyear Conference, along with the National Information Officers Association Conference. Dara hopes her level of experience and resources will help others better prepare for critical incidents.
