The Collaboration of The Decade: Law Enforcement and Social Media

Social media has transformed the way social interactions occur in society. Law enforcement has had to face the challenging task of navigating crime on the internet. One of the most prevalent issues on social media is cyberbullying. However, social media has also served as a great opportunity and ally to first responders and law enforcement. Here are four remarkable ways that social media has served as an efficient tool to aid law enforcement in protecting our communities.

Catching the Culprit

You may have watched the recent elaborate remake of the movie Annie. If you have, you probably recall the car chase scene where Annie is kidnapped by a couple. Her friends spread the word on social media, and soon enough people were posting pictures of Annie in the car at various locations throughout the car chase. Soon enough she was found, and they were able to catch the culprits before they hopped on a plane and escaped. While this scenario is a little exaggerated, social media is definitely a great tool for officers to get updates on a suspect’s whereabouts in real time. In time-sensitive cases such as a kidnapping or a bomb threat, it is easy to see how quickly social media can help prevent critical situations from getting much worse and save lives before it’s too late.

Spreading the Message

Once again, time is a significant aspect of crime scenes and terror plots. Social media is a great way to spread the message about potential safety hazards while reaching millions of people at a time. With the rise in terror attacks and threats, it is easier and faster to get more people to safety and limit the number of casualties. It is also much easier to alert police and first responders. Additionally, if there is word of a threat, with enough exposure on social media police will be alerted and have time to disarm the threat before it takes place.

Unintended Volunteer Recruitment

Although it is very sad to read about a tragic news story on social media, it is an effective way to bring awareness to people. In many cases, people will hear about a tragedy and volunteer their time to help victims cope with the aftermath and clean up. In the case of the Humboldt team’s bush crash in Saskatchewan or the wildfires in Fort McMurray, a lot of people were affected. The police and first responders did not have all the resources and people on hand to help everyone all at once. People heard the news on social media and started their own volunteer initiatives, whether it was donating time, supplies, or setting up GoFundMe pages, everyone helped in whatever way they could.

Maintaining Close Relations with the Community

Social media helps police and firefighter departments to stay in touch with the needs of their community. Previously, it was hard to establish a direct relation with law enforcement unless there was an emergency. However, as of now, many local police and firefighter departments have social media pages where they host discussions about what goes on in the community and address any questions or concerns locals may have. Consequently, many people feel safer and engaged in the safety of their community and are able to voice their opinions on what can be improved. Furthermore, people establish a relationship with local law enforcement departments and develop trust towards them.

Overall, there are many great advantages to using social media as a member of Law Enforcement. Social media can be used as an efficient and quick tool to gain information and resources, as well as maintaining trust with locals. There is a great future for a strong collaboration between law enforcement and social media.