Yesterday Jay Baer, a social media strategy consultant, posted a very clear and informative article, entitled Cop and Robbers: Social Media Invades Law Enforcement, detailing the ways that law enforcement uses social media. Specifically, Baer lists 9 ways that law enforcement uses social media. They are crime mapping; crime reporting; soliciting tips; alerts and notifications; investigations; emergency preparedness and response; malicious use; public relations and reputation management; and vetting. Regarding investigations, Baer writes, “Social media is a valuable investigative tool when seeking evidence or information about individuals or cases including missing persons, wanted persons, gang participation and recruitment, and crimes perpetuated online such as cyberbullying or identity theft.” Furthermore, he provides a chart that breaks down, by percentage, law enforcement’s use of certain social media sites. Facebook, Nixle and Twitter were the three most used, respectively. Finally, Baer gives 4 examples where law enforcement used social media to apprehend suspects.

To learn more about law enforcement’s use of social media, please read Baer’s concise and informative article. Then to learn about the use of social media as evidence in criminal and civil cases please read my articles.

• Protecting Clients From Social Oversharing
• Social Networking Revolutionizes Evidence Gathering
• Social Networking or Evidentiary Resource
• Social Media Evidence