Paris Not the Only One with Reputation Worries

Last week, Peter Himler wondered if Paris Hilton’s recent legal woes would damage her career, as the pampered heiress was released (temporarily, as it turned out) from prison early after serving just three days. I responded with my suspicions that the brunt of the PR blame would land on the L.A. County Sheriff, and after a weekend-long media circus, I think those suspicions may end up confirmed.

After a news cycle that seemed to cover little else than the battle between the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department and Judge Michael Sauer over the fate of Ms. Hilton, I’m wondering whose reputation will wind up worse off, Hilton’s or the authorities’? Judge Sauer needn’t worry, media reports have characterized him as the only level-headed figure in this whole mess. And with a high-profile Barbara Walters interview all lined up, along with countless other media requests, book deal offers and other reputation rehab opportunities no doubt at her disposal, there is no reason to think Hilton will be anything but even more (in)famous after her release.

But what of the sheriff’s department?

Apparently without the approval of Judge Sauer, the sheriff briefly released Hilton to her home with an monitoring bracelet late last week, citing a “medical condition” as reason for the release. Sauer soon reversed the decision, ordering Hilton to spend the duration of her 45-day sentence in the medical ward of the Twin Towers Correctional facility in L.A., and leaving the sheriff’s department looking as though it had buckled under the pressure of such a high-profile inmate—and her endless access to the money and lawyers required to broker special treatment.

To me, this entire debacle serves as proof that reputation management applies to everyone. Obviously, celebrities employ entire teams of people to maintain their public face, as do politicians and corporations. But what of public entities, like state agencies and law enforcement authorities? How will the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department handle this potential PR foul-up? Hopefully, their internal PR teams are closely monitoring both MSM and online response to this madness, and preparing responses in kind.

Tags: Paris Hilton, Peter Himler