Law enforcement turns to Twitter
Posted By: Jasmine Huda 
Date last updated: 6/19/2009 7:34:53 AM
Local law enforcement agencies are turning to the popular social networking site, Twitter, to stay connected with the community.
By Jasmine Huda
KSDK -- What do police departments have to do with tweets?
A lot, it turns out.
Local law enforcement agencies are turning to the popular social networking site, Twitter, to stay connected with the community.
"We realize this isn't going to be for everybody," Chesterfield Police Capt. Ed Nestor said. "But there's a certain group out in every community that are embracing this type of technology. And a lot of those people we're not going to reach in other ways."
Chesterfield Police announced earlier this week it would use Twitter as an additional communication tool. The department will post information about important issues such as Amber and traffic alerts, Nestor said. The public can log on the website, and begin "following" the happenings of the police department, which displays the user name "CHESTERFIELD PD."
St. Louis County's Police Department is also using Twitter and Facebook to send real-time messages and alerts. (Twitter ID: "STLOUISCOUNTYPD")
The Major Case Squad (Twitter ID: "MAJORCASESQUAD") began using Twitter last month when suspect Chris Coleman was charged for the murders of his wife and children in Columbia, Il.
"As people found out that they could actually communicate with us, they gave us other leads that we have here in St. Clair County," St. Clair County Sgt. John Fulton said. "Those are turning out to be very valid leads and it's resulted in arrests already."
Police departments in other cities are riding the Twitter wave. Some of them are followed by thousands of people. Two days after it began its communications over Twitter, the Chesterfield Police Department logged 82 users, Capt. Nestor said.
The new communication tool will not replace, but instead supplement other forms of communication. Fulton said the Major Case Squad learned early on the value of using Twitter.
"Law enforcement is very good at little blurbs on the news doing press conferences. And then we turn off the cameras. Turn off the lights, and go home. But the public has a desire to find out more and more. And this is a way of giving them that information," he said.
KSDK
