"Skagit Breaking" breaks into instant news

Skagit Breaking proves a point – People want news about their neighbors and they want it fast.

The popular online Facebook page posts a mix of police scanner chatter and community announcements and in about three and a half years, has grown to 68,700 “likes,” the equivalent of subscribers in the Facebook world.

Followers get Skagit Breaking’s updates in their Facebook feeds and can publically comment on the posts or message the page directly, where the moderators often quickly respond. Much of its non-scanner information is submitted by its readers.

Behind the scenes, there are typically 30 volunteer moderators running the page. Chris Nelson, 38, of Burlington, is the page’s founder and owner.

Skagit Breaking got its start in May 2013 on the day the I-5 bridge over the Skagit River collapsed, dropping a car and a pickup into the water. Nelson, a former volunteer firefighter, happened to be in the area and was on the scene quickly. He started up the Facebook page to share the photos he took of the incident and rescue.

As someone with a lifelong interest in law enforcement, trained as an EMT, having worked as for the Clear Lake Volunteer Fire Department and a reputation as a scanner-junkie, Nelson says his friends routinely contacted him for information anytime they saw accidents or emergency vehicles heading somewhere. One friend suggested he start his own news page since he was already everyone’s “go-to source”.

So, “I started it as a joke,” Nelson said. He now spends about six hours per day maintaining his creation.

“I was going to call it Chris Nelson News but CNN was already in use, so I called it Skagit Breaking,” he quipped in an email.

To his surprise, Skagit Breaking quickly gained a following as he posted photos, news about car crashes and a feed of scanner traffic.

“The draw is mainly the scanner traffic,” Nelson said. “Our thing is instant, interactive and respectful. We want to be all three.”

The page has evolved over the years, with Nelson adding and removing volunteers to the group and developing self-imposed rules for the page. Some law enforcement agencies were initially unhappy with Skagit Breaking posting scanner information, Nelson said.

“We made a conscious effort to contact all the police departments,” Nelson said, “We sat down and asked ‘why are you mad at us?’”

The police gave Skagit Breaking tips on how to best keep the community updated, without putting officers in danger with its rapid posts. Nelson and another early volunteer, Brian Queen, attended the Mount Vernon Police Department Citizens Academy to gain insight on how the police operate.

This helped them create stricter rules for Skagit Breaking. For example, Nelson says they now delay posting about risky police calls and keep officer safety in mind.

“We’re slowly but surely learning,” Nelson said. “We’ve made a few mistakes along the way.”

Another change they made to the page came after local mayors’ concerns that Skagit Breaking was bringing negativity and bad publicity to the cities through constant posts about crime and scanner traffic. In response, Nelson said they worked on finding a better balance in highlighting both the crime and good in the community. They added representatives from various local companies and community organizations as moderators to the Facebook page, giving them the ability to post events and information.

Nelson describes the page’s media role as citizen journalism.

“They put the word out,” Skagit County Sheriff Will Reichardt said. The Facebook posting, “doesn’t really affect us for the most part. But sometimes they put it out too quickly and rumors get started.”

Reichardt pointed out that scanner talk is not always a reliable source for information because when deputies arrive on scene, the situation is often much different than what is originally reported. Reichardt said for the most part, he has no problem with Skagit Breaking.

Officer Mike Lumpkin with the Burlington Police Department also said the scanner only provides bits and pieces of the full picture. He said he always cautions people listening to the police scanner to keep themselves out of the situation, and notes that citizens might have a different understanding of news practices than traditional media.

“Our point of view is that having people have accurate and correct information is what is most important to us,” he said. “We are a governmental agency, accountable to the public.”

Lieutenant Chris Cammock from the Mount Vernon Police Department said they have a good working relationship with Skagit Breaking.

“We actually work with them quite a bit,” he said. “They are fairly consistent about working with us about things they’ve heard from their readership, correcting mistakes and confirming accurate information. We’ve always found them good to work with and responsive to our needs.”

Cammock said Skagit Breaking has been helpful in some situations.

Nelson said the moderators have worked directly with officers and sometimes pick up tips they pass along.

This county has had no shortage of major news events, which sometimes keep volunteers awake for days updating the page—the bridge collapse, the Oso landslide, the Cascade Mall shooting and the recent Mount Vernon officer shooting.

What drives Nelson to spend so much time maintaining Skagit Breaking? He says the page is now an expectation in the community and people consistently come there for current information. Plus, he feels good that the page has helped locate missing people and items, solve crimes, get the word out about fundraisers and has made people more aware of what goes on in their community.

EDITOR’S NOTE:Two La Conner Weekly News reporters are volunteer moderators on the Skagit Breaking page and occasionally share links to this newspaper’s content.