As the report below indicates, more and more law enforcement agencies are taking advantage of social media as a means of crime fighting. Interestingly, communities too are also using web 2.0 technologies for neighborhood watch programs and for reporting unusual activities in the community. Recently in Colorado (USA), a twitter-update by a concerned parent brought out dozens of community members to investigate a stranger taking pictures of children in the local park.
In another case, a citizen posted information on some strange door-to-door “salesmen” who had just visited her house. She said they acted aggressively and asked her neighbors via an email listserve whether they had had a similar experience. The email was monitored by a police officer in his patrol car, who also subscribed to the mailing list. He knew from previous reports that the description of the modus operandi provided by the woman matched that of a well-known burglary ring wanted in connection with a string of neighborhood thefts. The patrol officer responded to the scene and was able to make an arrest.
This case nicely highlights the potential impact on crime that is possible when community policing and social media unite. Does your local neighborhood police officer receive your crime report tips via email in his patrol car? Can citizens in your community receive tweets from the police chief warning of the latest crime trends?
If not, why not?
It may be time to ask, does your police department tweet?
