The Future of Policing: The Twitter Beat

Twitter can do more than tell us what’s on Ashton Kutcher’s mind — it can also help us solve crimes and build safer communities.

The world of law enforcement is embracing social media, and the possibilities are enormous. I’ve written before about Twitter’s emergence as the new police blotter, but now we’re starting to see examples of police agencies around the world taking the next step with social tools — interacting with the communities they serve, sharing critical information and collecting tips.

Law enforcement agencies — like most bureaucracies — are notoriously resistant to change. But any good police officer will tell you that a department is only as good as its bonds to the community it serves. And those bonds are hard to maintain through the window of a police car or from the other side of a Taser.

Big American cities have found success in recent years with community policing — sending cops to walk beats rather than drive cars, to attend community meetings rather than just make arrests. And Twitter could be the next big beat.

While many departments are still using Twitter as a broadcast tool, some have moved on to true two-way communication with the community. Departments like Milwaukee and Boston have robust presences on Twitter, sharing information about crimes and arrests and interacting with the community they serve. The Boston Police Department even loosened up a bit on Twitter, announcing via Twitter last year that if zombies were to attack, they would let the community know.

Other departments are using new media tools to solve crimes and share critical public safety information. A Dutch police department asked for tips on cold cases, for example — and 75% of leads came through Twitter. Police departments and city agencies across the U.S. are increasingly relying on tools like SeeClickFix for citizens to report issues and vote on what needs fixing.

Twitter has revolutionized the way consumer-facing companies interact with customers, so it would follow that public services would be next. Southwest Airlines says Twitter is its primary interface with customers. AT&T has a dozen people dedicated to responding to inquiries, comments and complaints on the platform. Police departments are customer service agencies of a sort (though many customers are by nature disgruntled). Serving the community means keeping lines of communications open, and social media helps departments do this.

As police departments continue using emerging social media technology, their relationships with the communities they serve will keep improving. So yes, the next time you see a dedicated social media police officer responding to tips and feedback online, don't be too surprised.

Photo Credit: Mashup of Image from Smays