Responding to crime reports on Social Media

So I’m trying to figure out a sports analogy to describe the two examples below…

• split the uprights/shanked the conversion (NFL and CFL in full swing)
• through the five hole / hit the crossbar (Hockey is back baby)
• hit one out of the park / went down swinging. (The Fall Classic)

Never mind…read on.

Law Enforcement organizations or individual police officers that have decided to engage in social media will have by now, or will come across a mention in their time line of a follower that has turned to social media to report a crime.

This is problematic for most since few organizations have undertaken the position to operate their accounts on a 24/7 basis and no individual officer can do it period.

Right or wrong,  some members of the public have an expectation that when they Tweet or Update with their local authorities brand ID that their mention will be answered.  SOme agencies choose not to even engage with their audience so this would be a pointless venture to begin with.

In a time of crisis, emergency or disaster, I would expect my local police to be monitoring and engaging without fail, but during regular cycles, not at all.

So what should an agency/individual do when information comes in on the social channels?

Well, this for sure is what not to do.

Figure 1

Figure 2

In Figure 1, a citizen has asked the police to do something about the drug trade happening at a specific location.

In Figure 2, the police have responded by re-directing the person to another Twitter account in a reply.

This leaves me to wonder two things.

1. Is this the standard practice for how this police department should handle problems voiced over Twitter?
2. How do I or anyone else know that the other Twitter Account is monitored, active or in a position to do anything about it?

Left as is, the police department is in essence be telling anyone watching that they accept calls for service over Twitter.  Bad precedence.

What about the other Twitter Account? Is is one person? Several officers?  Are they working?  Are they on holidays?  Do they monitor their mentions?

What the agency should have done is said, “Thanks.  We will direct your information to the police in that area, but in the future, please call (XXX)XXX-XXXX to report.”

I would also hope that the agency rep who made this response either emailed the Tweet or phoned someone in the are to actually report on behalf of this individual.  Pro Tip: Email the Unit Commander of the area with the information.

• You let that Commander know that there is a problem in their area being talked about on social media.
• The Commander will appreciate you taking the time to let them know.
• The Commander will know who in their unit will be the best group/person to help solve or attend to the problem.

Or, another way the agency could have handled this is to take a page from the Calgary Police Department and not only respond properly, but also amplify the message to a greater audience.

Figure 3

It’s no wonder the Calgary Police are award winners for their use of social media with a simple but packed response.

1. They acknowledged the person and provided the best practice solution.  Call 911 or the non emergency number.
2. In doing so, they told the person without saying it, this is not how to report criminal activity.
3. The amplified the message by placing a dot in front of the @Reply ID.

That last point is one to pay attention to.

Remember the “Rules of Reply”. If they had just replied to the person, only people who jointly follow the @CalgaryPolice and @janewordsmith would see the response and that would be a shame.  The message is so good, that more people should see the response as an educational tool.  By placing the dot in front of the ID, it’s no longer a strict reply.  The message is amplified to everyone who follows the Calgary Police…a much bigger potential viewing audience.

Back to the sports analogy…winners and losers.