I was inspired to write this by a Law Enforcement executive who joined one of our LinkedIn Groups. Law Enforcement is one industry that stands to reap massive benefits from Social Media.
Law enforcement can use
Social Media Marketing in human resources, communications, public relations, investigations, marketing, fundraising and more.
LinkedIn is an excellent example of a Social Media Resource that can be used to recruit fantastic talent and also vet perspective applicants. Sites like Twitter and
Facebook can be leveraged to engage the public, promote unsolved cases and fundraise. Facebook especially is a great way to reach out to youth and parents to raise awareness about public safety.
All Social Media sites are an excellent investigation tool. A mere Google search could locate someone who otherwise may have been impossible to find. Social Media profiles created under nicknames and aliases are also quickly uncovered using advanced search features available on most Social Media sites.
Online crimes can be uncovered because an officer can create a Social Media profile and crawl the internet finding crime occurring in their area. There are so many kinds of crime being committed online, from fraud, to prostitution to child pornography. While internet crime can be hard to investigate, because the criminal could be anywhere - Social Media can uncover local criminals quite easily because if a criminals Social Media profile is uncovered, it will likely tell you where the criminal is.
Social Media can also be leveraged to post missing persons reports and has already been used around the world as an invaluable tool for locating missing children.
Social Media is a new form of communicating that is becoming more widely used than the telephone. It extends the reach of Law Enforcement by increasing channels to communicate and investigate.
Social Media saves cities big!!! Each time a goal is achieved using Social Media, the departments save on travel and advertising mediums because it is a mass communications vehicle that is a fraction of the cost of communicating the "good old fashion way".
For more information visit www.assureassess.com/socialmedia.
