Law Enforcement and Social Media

Law Enforcement, in general, is slowly entering the world of social media. I read an interesting article from Christa Miller on Cops 2.0 recently, titled Experts: Branding opportunities in disguise. The article, and the Cops 2.0 website, explores the use of social media formats and the Internet by police agencies and individual officers as well. "To be sure, this idea is outside the bounds of traditional law enforcement hierarchies. Tightly controlled information has been—and still is, to some extent—crucial to the overall mission of preserving peace and public safety."

The article points out that use of social media by Law Enforcement is an opportunity to reach out to the public in a far different way than traditional means. "Tightly controlled information" and the Public Information Officer (PIO) are not being replaced by the use of social media. The use of social media by police is an additional tool at our disposal and is of value. Take a look at the article and the Cops 2.0 website for additional information on the topic and some great examples of how Law Enforcement in putting this concept to use.