Police increasingly fight crime via social media
it may be a ways off before anyone sees officers live-tweeting from crime scenes, but the Springfield Police Department has gradually become more technologically savvy.
in 2011, Springfield police joined two websites and helped launch another to better notify people about crime happening in their neighborhoods.
the sites are: idthisperson.com, crimereports.com and an interactive burglary database that can be viewed at the State Journal-Register’s website.
Deputy Chief Cliff Buscher said the department’s new use of technology isn’t part of a concerted effort. rather, officers became aware of the sites independently, he said.
so far, he said the websites have helped police share information with the public, and in some cases, gather information that has led to arrests.
Buscher said he hopes the department can take advantage of social media. for example, he said, Springfield police have a Facebook page that’s not updated because officers are too busy.
“the more people know about what’s going on around them, the more alert they will be,” Buscher said. “a lot of times at meetings, people say they don’t know what’s going on in their neighborhood. this helps us get that information out to the public.”
How they work
Idthisperson.com is a new tool Springfield police are using to help solve identify theft, retail theft and various other crimes.
in the past three months, tips from the website have helped police crack two cases that officers were having a difficult time gathering information on, Buscher said. in one, a tipster identified a thief who stole from a retail store, he said, and in the other someone identified a suspect charged with unlawful use of a weapon.
the way idthisperson.com works is people view images of unidentified suspects and supply police with information. most of the photographs are taken from surveillance videos.
Tipsters who provide information that leads to the initial identification of a person wanted for a crime are eligible for a $25 gift card. Gift card rewards are paid for by the website and sent from a third-party, Internet-based gift card business.
the other two sites are mostly used as information hubs.
the sj-r.com burglary database includes a searchable map containing information on reported burglaries supplied by SPD and the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
Visitors can search burglary reports by date, location and the item(s) reported stolen and see it all plotted on an interactive map.
Crimereports.com shows all crimes and sex offenders on an interactive map. However, in the case of burglaries, it does not list what was stolen. People also can submit tips directly to Crime Stoppers through the website.
Catching on nationwide
Lauri Stevens, a social media strategist for law enforcement who lives near Boston, said thousands of police departments are using websites and social media with varying degrees of sophistication and success.
She said medium- to- small-size departments tend to be ahead of police departments in large metropolitan areas.
“the large agencies have many layers of approval necessary to pull off a real social media plan,” she said.
An exception is the police department in Toronto, which has implemented a complex social media strategy that’s unparalleled, she said.
Toronto police use hundreds of Twitter accounts and dozens of Facebook pages and also have their own YouTube channel. the department’s website includes statistics, press releases, an organizational chart of officers and many other communication tools, she said.
“in the past year, I’ve seen a real acceptance on the part of law enforcement in that social media isn’t going away,” Stevens said. “in fact, they get now that it’s just the latest development in communication technology, much like the Internet was before that.”
What others are doing
Chatham Police Chief John Holm said his department regularly updates its Facebook page, and officers sometimes post messages about thefts in neighborhoods to collect information.
the department also uses the e-Lert notifying system, he said. That software provides text messages, email messages and computer desktop alerts of severe weather, public works incidents, road closures and other incidents that require public notification.
in Sherman, Sgt. Craig Bangert said the police department is in the process of becoming more technologically savvy. He said the city soon will launch a new website that will help law enforcement better communicate with the public.
Sherman also uses the e-Lert system but does not update its Facebook page, he said.
the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, on the other hand, does little with online resources.
Sheriff Neil Williamson said the department has no one dedicated to posting information online.
“We don’t have the resources dedicated to that type of stuff as we did four years ago,” he said. “the budget crunch devastated us.”
Jason Nevel can be reached at 788-1521.
Deterring theft with technology
Rochester Police Chief Bill Marass credits his department’s use of technology to educate the public about crime prevention as one reason the community had no reported burglaries this summer.
two summers ago, Rochester residents were among the victims of a multi-city burglary spree that resulted in more than 100 crimes. Five teenagers were later arrested in connection with the thefts.
Marass said the situation made him realize the need for police to educate the public about crime prevention. Many people believed Rochester was immune from crime, so it was OK to keep car doors unlocked or leave the garage door up overnight, he said.
“Rochester is perceived as safe, and it is, but when you don’t lock your doors, anyone can be a victim,” Marass said.
To make the community more aware of crime, the Rochester department now posts police beat items on its website, as well as messages detailing crime in Rochester.
Information also is posted on Twitter, Facebook and the service Nixle, an alert system for police and government agencies.
Marass said social media make it easier for police and the public to share information.
“if you make it easier, they’re going to do it,” Marass said. “We’re not as effective fighting crime when we don’t have the public to assist us.”
