Not All Crises Start with Sirens
A new GGF series on crisis communications. We start with the murder of a University Park Fire Department Captain
We’re launching a new series on crisis communications, spotlighting real-world events that tested leadership, rattled teams, and demanded clear, confident messaging when it mattered most.
The truth is: Not all crises are headline-grabbing natural disasters. Some are characterized by the slow-building drumbeat of controversy or confusion. Others are sudden, personal tragedies that ripple through an organization.
What they all have in common is this: the worst time to figure out your process is during the crisis.
Earlier this month, my longtime friends and DFW StratComm colleagues Belinda Willis and Sharon Logan and I volunteered in the Joint Information Center at the Emergency Operations Center handling the Kerr County, Texas, floods. It was a powerful reminder that planning and training aren’t nice-to-haves. They’re lifelines. We’ll be sharing more about that experience in an upcoming installment. (We’ll be rolling these out monthly.)
We open the series with a first-person account from Steve Mace, former communications director for University Park, Texas—and a longtime radio journalist. Steve’s story isn’t about weather, wildfires, or mass shootings. It’s about something harder to anticipate: the murder of a beloved public servant, and the long tail of grief, media attention, and organizational strain that followed.
One example of news coverage of the murder of Capt. Bob Poynter, which drew national, sustained media attention.
Early in the morning on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, I received a call from Randy Howell, the fire chief for the city of University Park. In a level voice, he informed me that just hours ago, off-duty Fire Capt. Bob Poynter had been shot and killed. Because authorities in the jurisdiction where his body was found would soon provide the media with basic information about the incident, we quickly agreed that the City needed to draft and distribute a news release acknowledging that the department had been notified of Bob’s death. We also decided that as soon as I arrived at City Hall we would meet with our city manager to discuss other immediate needs. Before I arrived, the city manager had briefed our mayor and council on the incident.
Located five miles from downtown Dallas, University Park is a largely residential community with a population of 25,000 residents. With Southern Methodist University and the George W. Bush Presidential Center inside our boundaries, staff is accustomed to media attention, but this was unheard of.
For nearly the next three-and-a-half years, as this thoroughly investigated crime moved from stage to stage, a close-knit department of 35 personnel had to endure rekindled feelings of shock, outrage and loss. Media coverage finally ended when guilty verdicts and life sentences were achieved for the two people who planned and carried out Bob’s murder.
A member of the department for nearly 20 years, Bob was a public servant who clearly loved helping others. Showing that, in 2005, along with three other University Park firefighters, he served on a special task force in Louisiana searching for Hurricane Katrina survivors. A mentor and leader for his at-work family, he was also a devoted father to his three daughters ages 21,17 and 6.
The crime scene was about 40 miles from University Park. Detectives with the Royse City Police Department led the investigation. They soon determined that Bob’s estranged wife, Chacey Poynter, claiming her jeep was stuck in the mud, lured him to a dark field near a Hunt County roadway. Investigators also alleged that as Bob worked to free the vehicle, her boyfriend, Michael Garza, shot and killed him so the two conspirators could collect Bob’s insurance money.
What will the first few days of media coverage entail?
The initial news release we drafted was short and to the point. Posted before noon Saturday hoping to stay ahead of the story, it acknowledged the department had been informed of his death, that Bob was a respected member of our public safety workforce and the City’s thoughts were with his family members. It also stated the City would have no further comments for the rest of the weekend. That was done to allow our firefighters more time to process the news, but candidly, we needed time to think about our next steps.
As the fire chief, city manager and I huddled that morning, I laid out what would likely take place over the next few days. We decided the chief would be the City’s spokesperson, we determined who would liaison with the family, and we discussed funeral plans. Although the media was willing to give City staff and our community some breathing room after the Saturday news release, as a former news director, I knew they would soon ask for comments from Chief Howell or from other members of the department. So, with that in mind, we also began planning a news conference.
That media availability took place on Monday, less than 72 hours after Bob’s body was found. Chief Howell read a brief statement elaborating on Bob’s outstanding service record and stressing the grieving process was just beginning for our firefighters and his loved ones. After answering a few questions, the chief also mentioned the City was coordinating with Bob’s family on funeral arrangements. Three days later across the street from the fire station, family, coworkers, and friends gathered at Highland Park Presbyterian Church for Bob’s funeral with full honors. After the service, at a park next to City Hall, the public and media gathered for a last-call ceremony, the singing of Amazing Grace and a benediction.
It was a terribly sad week, but it went about as well as it could have. With the arrest of both suspects, reporters repeatedly asked the City to comment on case developments. By agreement, we decided to refer those questions to police investigators and Hunt County authorities.
National media coverage
Although I thought the national media would have some interest in the case as more became known about the suspects, I did not expect producers from 48 Hours and Dateline to call me in the same week. By then, some of our firefighters wanted to talk to the media. In preparation for the upcoming on-camera interviews, I worked up a series of likely questions, and role-played answers with all participating firefighters. Additionally, I worked with both networks on pre-interview b-roll shots of the fire station and city hall. I also gathered photos supplied by Bob’s family and from the fire department for segment use. Dateline aired its feature, “Out of the Darkness” in August 2019. 48 Hours waited until January 2020 to air “Sex, Lies, Money and Murder.”
Legal proceedings and convictions
In July 2018, after two weeks of testimony, a Hunt County jury convicted Michael Garza of killing Bob with a shotgun blast. He is currently serving a 99-year sentence. A year later in July 2019, a second Hunt County jury convicted Chacey Poynter. Prosecutors focused on her role as the mastermind behind the crime. She was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 30 years. Several University Park firefighters attended both trials, and the City distributed a statement to the media at the conclusion of both proceedings.
Elements for successfully navigating through a crisis
Most cities will never experience something like this, but every city will face a crisis of some kind. And the worst time to build your process is in the middle of one.
Looking back, what made the difference for us wasn’t a single tactic. It was a shared understanding of roles, a focus on timely, thoughtful communication, and a foundation of trust that had been built long before the cameras showed up.
If you’re a public information officer, here are a few essentials to have in place before the pressure hits:
Know the players and the plan. Establish relationships with your city manager, department heads, and key elected officials. Trust isn’t built in the moment—it’s built over time.
Designate a spokesperson early. One clear voice helps cut through chaos. Subject-matter experts lend credibility; consistency builds confidence.
Buy yourself time. If you can, control the pace. A brief initial statement can create space to think, grieve, and plan the next steps.
Anticipate the long tail. Some crises don’t end after the funeral or the press conference. Be ready to engage weeks—or years—down the line.
Practice for the unexpected. Even if you can’t simulate every scenario, tabletop exercises create muscle memory that matters.
You won’t always get it perfect. But you can be prepared. And in moments like this, preparation is everything.
Next month: A murder-suicide involving the mayor blindsides a community—and puts the city’s PIO front and center in handling the fallout.
Onward and Upward.