In an active shooter incident, the Joint Information Center (JIC) gives Public Information Officers (PIOs) from multiple agencies one place to work. They draft a message. The Incident Commander approves the message before release. As a secondary function, the JIC monitors social media for intelligence and develops messaging to correct inaccurate information.
The PIO prepares public information releases for Incident Commander, Unified Command, or Area Command. This helps ensure consistent messages, avoid release of conflicting information, and prevent adverse impact on operations. Jurisdictions and organizations may issue releases related to their policies, procedures, programs, and capabilities; however, these should be coordinated with the incident-specific JIC(s).