Law Enforcement 2.0

Comments (...)

Sergeant Jeff Cole shows how Facebook and Twitter can be used to access the sheriff’s department and to receive “tweets” on important issues. (Photo by Jeanne Milsap)

E-mail this story

Print this story

Comments

Share

The Grundy County Sheriff’s Department is unveiling two new tools for helping area residents learn about events, local laws, and even dangerous situations. The tools are the online services Twitter and Facebook, and the department is now able to give updates through both.

It can be a great way to learn about what’s happening in your own neighborhood, deputies said.
“This will be another piece of our safety network,” Sheriff Terry Marketti said. “Hopefully, it can help us solve crimes faster or prevent them . . . It’s one more way we can inform the community about things we believe are important for their safety.”

Marketti said the online services can be used in addition to local newspapers and radio stations to get information out to residents and businesses, but it will be faster. Sometimes, the information will be immediate, such as if there is a traffic emergency. The department could then “tweet” those who sign up for the service on Twitter, so that they would receive instant notification of the traffic situation on their cell phones.

The department can also use the networks to alert residents about area burglaries or scams so that they can be aware that there are criminals operating in their area.

There are many different services the sheriff’s department can offer through Twitter and Facebook, Sgt. Jeff Cole explained.

“It’s the new tool for us in law enforcement,” Cole said.

Cole is the one who enters the posts, most times daily. So far, he has entered posts on Facebook warning residents about a severe thunderstorm watch on June 25; about a power outage in Morris on June 23 asking residents to check on the elderly and pets; about a heat advisory on June 22; and asking residents for information on a bus barn burglary in Minooka on June 17, among several other posts.

He has also posted informational snippets, such as letting residents know of several free kits and books that are available at the department, including a handbook for parents called “Teens, Partying and the Law”; child identification and fingerprint kits; and free firearm safety kits that include a locking device.

Going online with Twitter and Facebook was the idea of Cole and the department’s technology director Kevin Bogard. It took a couple of months of mulling it over and discussing the possibilities before Bogard said he actually began the process, but once everything was approved, it took him only a couple of hours to get things going.

Bogard said another thing about being on the sites is that it can help build positive relationships with the department. It will reach more people, too, he said, especially those of a younger age group who are more comfortable with the online services.

Some people don’t even have land-based phones anymore, he said, to receive reverse 911 calls. Some people don’t read newspapers or listen to the radio. They might be more comfortable going on the internet to get the latest from Facebook on what’s going on in the county or getting instant updates on their cell phones through Twitter.

To access the Grundy County Sheriff’s Department through Facebook, get online on a computer, get on the internet, and go to www.facebook.com/grundycountysheriff. To sign up for personal updates from the department through Facebook, click the box that reads, “Sign up.” Information can be accessed at any time, night or day.

Smartphones can also access Facebook, Bogard said.

To receive instant updates on a cell phone through Twitter, open the internet on a computer or cell phone and go to www.twitter.com. Enter the search phrase GCSO. Past updates can be viewed immediately, or click “Join today” and follow the prompts to get updates on a cell phone.

Other services the sheriff’s department hopes to use on Facebook and Twitter include traffic detour information, community service announcements, wanted persons information, videos and still images of suspects, topics of interest in the news, and crime stoppers releases, among other uses.

Emergency calls should still be placed through 911, Marketti said, but Crimestoppers tips can be entered through the sites. Marketti had one warning about using the sites.

“Don’t text while driving,” he said.

Grundy County is one of the first law enforcement agencies in the area using the internet networks. The Morris Police Department has also just signed on to Facebook, and residents may access its site by searching for Morris Police Department

Comments