Social Media Law Enforcement

1044 Words3 Pages

Social Media: Establishing Criteria for Law Enforcement Use by Robert D. Stuart is an informative article that discusses the use of social media over the past decade involving law enforcement. The article talks about how there is a fine line between having social media in one's personal life and their work life. In an officer's personal life they have the ability to share whatever it is that they please, as most social media apps ask you quite personal questions such as your name, hobbies, birth-dates, etcetera. Now as for your work life, that is a whole different situation. Sure, social media can help law enforcement solve investigations or help them with crimes, but Stuart(2013) states, “Mixing their personal and social lives with their professional ones can bring …show more content…

He tells the audience how an increasing amount of people continue to rely on social media for other human interaction/communication and to learn new information about people and what they're doing. They have the ability to do these sorts of things through apps that share posted videos, pictures, and live videos. This has become the go-to way for people to interact with each other. Social media also makes it quite easy for people to tell where someone has been or a current situation, just by simply posting a message or picture. This is a serious situation in law enforcement because law enforcement often share information that shouldn’t be let out for public view. Stuart(2013) states, “Departments that create a presence on social media sites open a new door of communication with the general public. By doing so, citizens can receive real-time information, as well as an electronic method of asking questions, making suggestions, and providing tips that help solve crimes.” Letting out information that shouldn’t be seen by the public can lead to serious consequences for law

Open Document