Social Media Law Enforcement

1115 Words3 Pages

Abstract
The study will examine how Law enforcement officers can use real-time social media information to anticipate public gatherings and protests and prepare in advance to maintain the peace. The study will specifically focus on the riots in Ferguson, Missouri. How people interact has evolved over the past decade. There is a digital mindset where people share ideas, photos and personal information through web type forums. Law enforcement can use the information that is shared through social media to gather information on an individual or group. The information can be where someone lives, who their associates are or their hobbies and interests. This information can be analyzed by law enforcement to further an investigation and or prevent …show more content…

The tools used by law enforcement, from wanted posters to police radios, patrol cars and now social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have radically changed how one behaves and operates. Community policing has changed with the onset of social media to locate missing children, alert neighbors of suspicious activity and even inform the public about crimes committed in their neighborhoods. Intelligence gathered from social media has become extremely pertinent for law enforcement agencies and for defense and prosecution personnel in assisting with their cases in searching Facebook pages, Twitter feeds or YouTube videos looking to discredit witnesses, establish law enforcement bias, locate evidence or establish links between gang members. With social media being very influential in people’s lives, and the need to share everything through this digital platform, criminals boast about their misconduct on social networks, and child pornographers and sexual predators have been located and caught because of their online …show more content…

Law enforcement use this information to prepare for such events and to take measures in containing and keeping the peace. By knowing when, where and how many people may be gathering in one area, law enforcement can send the appropriate number of officers to the exact area to control and monitor the groups actions to ensure a peaceful and safe event. This type of intelligence gathering from social media helps curtail law enforcement from being unprepared or outnumbered. This can help with increasing officer safety and reducing protests before they get unruly and

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