@PGPDNews

An announcement this week from the Prince George’s County Police sent some of the social media world into a bit of a tailspin. The PRPD plans on live tweeting a prostitution sting operation.  In their release they say;

 “The PGPD’s Vice Unit will conduct a prostitution sting that targets those soliciting prostitutes and we’ll tweet it out as it happens.”

I read the release and the quote above and I can clearly see that the target of the sting will be the johns and hopefully the dirt bags that live off the work of the prostitutes. Maybe they will get lucky and grab a lowlife that lives in the world of human trafficking. Yes ladies and gentlemen for those of you who didn’t know, human trafficking, forcible confinement, living off the avails of prostitution, sexual assault, drug trafficking are all crimes that result from prostitution. Very few police departments anymore have any interest in prosecuting the sex trade workers themselves. It’s the people who are behind the workers and those that enable the profession, the johns, pimps and others like them.

Well, some people went off the rails about the release thinking the PGPD was targeting the workers. Can they not read? “…targets those soliciting prostitutes.”

The Prince George’s PD had to issues a follow-up release clarifying their position after some of the storm over their position started;

“We’re hoping the advance notice we’ve provided acts as a deterrent to would-be johns who choose to engage in this illegal behavior.”

They added, “This is another example of our department’s commitment to transparency.” 

I really like the idea of using social media for this purpose…to help identify those people who are on the dirty side of the sex trade. I think it’s great to be proactive in doing everything to prevent a crime before it can be committed.

This is the type of event that has the ability to grab hold of our voyeuristic curiosity about police work. To peel back some of the curtains to take a peek inside using social media to do it.

I think this is way better than a “Tweet-a-long” in terms of the sheer “COPS on TWITTER, unscripted, unedited prospect.”

But, having said that, I am glad that it will be edited for the safety of the prostitutes, the officers and anyone that is actually in the wrong place/wrong time and not those there for the purpose of paying a pro.

Strategy Learning Point

What is the PGPD strategy behind this program? I am sure that it is the protection of vulnerable people through prevention and identification of offenders. But, what kind of things might people think? Well, here is what a site in the UK sees it as, ”

“Police to live tweet prostitution sting to embarrass punters off streets”

Whoa….to embarrass punters (JOHNS) off the streets? Well…if that is the strategy involved then the PGPD will have a problem with the ACLU, any lawyer involved in due process and god forbid a family whose loved one killed himself for embarrassment of being outed on social media without process.

Campaign Strategy

Even though this event may only last a few hours on Twitter, think of it in terms of a campaign. Always think about and lay out your strategy when designing a campaign like this.  Have all your T’s  crossed and your I’s dotted so that there is no confusion as to what the exact nature of what you are doing is.

When you go public with your plans, have that information all out there so there is no public confusion and you leave very little room for negative interpretation.

Way to go!

Hat tip to the Prince George’s Police for recognizing the upset that was caused on social very quickly after they announced the program and for getting out there and making a clarification. Listening…the best risk management tool of all.

Good luck with the sting.

Follow along with the PGPD on Twitter @PGPDNews

I can’t wait to see it unfold. I’ve added #PGPDVice to my search screen, you should too!

This picture via Cambridgeshire Police