Social media makes law enforcement investigations easier
In 1947, a police officer’s call to the communications desk was the best method to get information about potential suspects. Today, all they have to do is log in.
Access to social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have changed the way law enforcement officers receive tips and leads pertaining to criminal behavior.
Police use social media pages to gather information, inform people of new initiatives and promote community engagement programs. Their pages are often public, too.
The Springfield Police Department uses social media to gather information, but also to promote the lighter side of law enforcement.
“On occasions, we use social media to check on suspects potentially involved in major incidents such as homicide,” said Deputy Chief Dan Mounce of the department’s criminal investigations division. “We try to gather information from as many sources available to us. We also use social media to promote the positive images of department engagements.”
The police department uses Facebook regularly to promote its monthly Coffee and Conversation event, which welcomes the public to get to know neighborhood police officers and voice concerns.
Mounce says privacy on social media is essentially left up to the user. Most platforms like Facebook and Instagram have privacy options which may limit what other users can see, but anyone who has an account can become the subject of a general profile search.
“There are no privacy rights when you’re putting the information on a public forum,” Mounce said. “If we need to invade someone’s privacy, we do so by getting a court-ordered search warrant.”
Facebook and other platforms allow users to share memories with other people online, but the information that a user shares publicly can be used by police in an investigation if necessary. Facebook’s terms and conditions prohibit facilitating, organizing or celebrating criminal activity.
“What people don’t realize is that, when you post on one of these platforms, you have essentially left a time stamp, allowing anyone to track your whereabouts,” said James Cimarossa, a former Springfield police officer of 30 years.
Social media has been used to identify and locate criminals all over the country.
Last week, a 31-year old Chicago man was live-streaming video on Facebook using a new iPhone feature when he was shot. The video shows the gunman running through the frame. Police are trying to validate the information from the video to locate the gunman.
In late March, a burglar broke into a house in Boston just hours after the house’s owner accepted a friend request from an old classmate. Police were able to track down the suspect based on the timing of his Facebook messages.
A week before that in Philadelphia, the police had posted surveillance photos of a couple accused of committing fraudulent credit card purchases on Facebook. Not long after the pictures were posted, a user recognized the couple and tipped off the police, even providing them with a picture of the vehicle the suspects were in.
Cimarossa says social media has created a new source for public information, costing police departments only manpower and time.
“The evolution of technology had forced law enforcement to evolve,” Cimarossa said. “Social media allows law enforcement to obtain information through various social media forums faster than ever. It used to take hours or even days. Plus, it’s easy, and doesn’t cost the city a quarter.”
Contact Brittany Hilderbrand at intern@illinoistimes.com
