Local law enforcement use social media to stay on top of threats to the community
As students are increasingly using social media to coordinate parties or sell illicit substances, police are working to stay updated and learn how to use that technology.
Central Michigan Police Department Lt. Larry Klaus said Twitter and Facebook have proven useful in conducting investigations. Twitter grids allow police to search for multiple topics, events, conversations, hashtags and phrases in real time.
“This allows us to monitor what is going on, live, as it is happening," Klaus said. "In drug or assault cases we will look through a suspect’s social media to find evidence about the events.”
Jeff Browne, Mount Pleasant Police Department public information officer, said Twitter and Yik Yak are often used to advertise major parties during high traffic weekends. While police officers are not refreshing their feeds as often as students, they use social media outlets to do some preemptive police work.
When police see a house advertising that they will be hosting a large party, officers crash the party before the first guest ever arrives.
“It helps to know where the huge parties are going to be during times like Welcome Weekend or Western Weekend," Browne said. “A lot of the time what we’ll do is just go over to the house and talk to them before their party. We’ll bring the police, the fire department, and sometimes code enforcement as well.”
Often officers from each of the departments will talk to the house owners about avoiding criminal activity at their parties, as well as how to ensure that everyone can exit the house in the event of a fire.
“Our ultimate goal is to keep everyone safe," Browne said.
Lt. Mark Uribe of the Bay Area Narcotics Enforcement Team said the growing trend toward using the Internet to conduct criminal activities is challenging for law enforcement.
“In the past, all of the narcotics came in by trucks from big cities or other countries,” Uribe said. “Now, practically anyone can order drugs over the Internet.”
Buying controlled substances online without a valid prescription may be punishable by imprisonment under Federal law. Often drugs ordered from rogue websites come from foreign countries. It is a felony to import drugs into the United States and ship to a non-Drug Enforcement Agency registrant.
CMUPD also uses Twitter to release important safety information to the community in a timely manner.
