In less than three hours you could drive from Moncton, New Brunswick to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Moncton, scene of a horrific event that started Wednesday night that played out in real life and simultaneously on social media for the world to see. In the aftermath, 3 RCMP Officers dead, two injured and a nation in mourning.
Different City, Same Story
One execution occurred almost live with a family posting the event “as it happened” with their view from their living room providing a stage they probably didn’t expect to be on.
Officials from law enforcement asked people not to post police officer locations on social media when it became obvious the shooter’s intended victims were police officers. A simple request with more than valid reasons.
This hasn’t the first time this type of request has been issued and it won’t be the last for various reasons. Effective police work, officer safety, community safety and intelligence are just a few of the reasons this type of request might be made.
Fast forward just three short days and less than 300 miles to Halifax where reports went out once again in real life and on social media, “A gunman had been sighted.”
Public should avoid Windmill/Akerley area of #Dartmouth. Police responding to report of armed man. Very active scene right now. #Halifax
— Rebecca Lau (@RebeccaLau) June 7, 2014
In the end, no gunman was located although people were investigated. But, there is a huge difference between advising the public of an area they should avoid and what occurred here.
Armed police stand watch on windmill road in #dartmouth. @globalhalifax #halifax https://t.co/J69PBDisiB
— Cory McGraw (@McgrawCory) June 7, 2014
We can see that the priority is on the visual of the event which can add a lot of real value for the community to know to stay away.
Think about the wall to wall news coverage that occurs now on major events. The possibility of the news, citizen journalists and the community providing incredible amounts of information to the subjects involved in an event is amazing.
Locations, deployment, resources, plans, logistics are all available for everyone to see and put together. This became such a problem in Moncton, officers chose to use cell phones to advise what they were doing as opposed to announcing it over their radios.
Following an event in the moment, live as it happens with all the excitement of, “What will happen next” is great to watch unfold when it’s something that has a real entertainment value but not as exciting when we realize that there is a real potential of life and death.
There has to be a place where we can all come together to find that happy medium where the information can be given out and updates provided without putting lives at risk.
A simple question…when will public safety and officer safety actually matter over public voyeurism?
Wow. Food for thought. And I really don’t have an answer to this question. Public safety has to be paramount. Maybe the police can recruit a group of people to spread the “be quiet” message through an ad hoc group of social media users. People may be more likely to listen to people they know and respect online than they are public accounts such as the gov’t or police. An interesting question with no easy answer.
Hey Karim,
Great possible solution to a tough problem. It would provide a path to sharing with responsible use. Thanks
Thanks for making me think.
You’re very welcome! Thanks for taking your time to read and comment!