The police are seeing a community increase in the use of social media to communicate crime to neighbors, friends and family. Social networking sites can be valuable tools for alerting the public to, and seeking information about, crimes, but please remember these simple rules:
• Social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, should NEVER be used to report crime.
• Social networking sites should not be used to advise neighbors of potential crimes until AFTER you have already dialed 911.
Law enforcement response time to reports of crime is critical for solvability. In any case of crime, or suspicion of crime, always dial 911 first to report the incident.
Serving and protecting is everything the police strive for. Citizens are often the first and best resource the police have to achieve that mission.
SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. DIAL 911!
If you think that a crime may be occurring, or that the safety of you or your neighbors may be at risk, don’t hesitate to call 911. You shouldn’t worry about using up police time. Calls to 911 will be prioritized based on availability of law enforcement.
Even if you are unsure as to what is going on, the best thing to do is to let the police investigate. When the police catch someone in the act of breaking into a home, or stealing something, it is not unusual that one person is responsible for multiple other crimes in a neighborhood, and once caught, crime will decrease.
