Law enforcement is now using social media as a job resource
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) -Social Media is one of the biggest tools to stay in contact with friends. It’s also a quick way to find information.
Law enforcement is noticing this trend and many have now joined the online community.
“Now social media plays a big part in law enforcement this day and time,” said Triplett.
in Mississippi, thousands of people use Facebook and Twitter every day. And that’s one-way investigators can reach the community.
People in law enforcement like investigator Douglas Triplett say being active on social media is important when dealing with a younger generation.
“It helps a lot because of a lot of crime that goes on. Juveniles put it out on social media Snapchat and all of this stuff and they be going back and forth and sometimes they will admit to what they did on social media and that’s how it helps law enforcement solve a lot of crimes and it’s out on social media,” said Triplett.
Triplett says using social media helps his department get information out faster to the community.
“We put it out we got a page. the sheriff’s department has a page on Facebook and we put that out to the public to be on the lookout for this and that and it helps the public keep an eye out for their surroundings because if we don’t put it out there they will never know and you cant reach out to everybody,” said Triplett.
Macon Chief of police, Divine Beck says that social media is just as important as the weapons on their duty belts.
“Social media is a big resource and a tool for us. we often identify people through Facebook and identify a name with a face and it has helped us out a lot in most investigations and we know the face but they usually have nicknames and it helps us out a lot,” said Chief Beck.
Chief Beck says that he was here before social media was popular and doing his job isn’t impossible without it ….. but it does help.
“It would be like the old days. it wouldn’t be hard. I’ve been here without social media and social media actually makes our job easier. It’s a tool and resource that we utilize a lot,” said Chief Beck.
Beck says that social media can be a good or a bad thing and warns users to be careful and always remember that they are always watching.
“It can help and it can hurt but 9 out of 10 times it helps us. Be careful how you use social media. It can be a tool and it can be a weapon,” said Chief Beck.
You can find the Noxubee County Sheriffs Department and the Macon Police Department on Facebook to keep up with the latest information in the area.
