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Middle Township police finding fans fast on Facebook
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MIDDLE TOWNSHIP - The Middle Township Police Department started a page on the social networking site Facebook less than a week ago.
By Monday afternoon, the site had 725 "fans" - a Facebook term for people who support the site.
The local police department has used the popular Internet site to provide Halloween trick-or-treat times and safety tips, to advertise its Christmas toy drive, and to list its anonymous tip line.
New Middle Township police Chief Christopher Leusner said the department later will add links to crime statistics and neighborhood trends.
"I was a little hesitant of the idea in the beginning, but through our research I saw the FBI, the State Police and other law enforcement have Facebook sites," Leusner said. "I thought (at first) it was more a networking site for individuals. I didn't know the network extended to business and government agencies, just about anybody that wants to connect."
Township officers suggested the use of Facebook to improve relationships with the community, Leusner said. The department expects to use MySpace and Twitter in the future, he said.
Facebook and Twitter have sites run by the FBI, which used them recently to advertise jobs for forensic accountants and intelligence analysts, as well as to alert the public to a global con artist and a violent Mexican gang leader added to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.
Anyone can become a fan of police department in Fairbanks, Alaska, which used Facebook to publicize a program offering free glow sticks to children for Halloween.
Sites such as Facebook can be a useful tool for law enforcement if used correctly, said Joel Caplan, assistant professor at Rutgers University's School of Criminal Justice.
"You have an audience who wants to know what's happening, and it's suggested to be a very successful median for police departments to share information," he said.
Facebook sites can be updated in seconds, he said.
Police departments can also use the sites for public relations and communication of their own achievements, he said.
But such Web sites have drawback as well.
They could be used too often, and an influx of information reaching people's computers can detract from the important messages police want to deliver, Caplan said.
"Nobody likes to get a lot of e-mails, and police can run the risk of inundating people with information," Caplan said.
And like individuals who use Facebook, police departments have to be cautious about what information are distribute.
"Police have to be careful about sharing personal information. Once it's out there and once it's sent out, everybody can see it," Caplan said.
Although the Middle Township Police Department is among the first departments in Cape May County to have a Facebook site, the use of technology in community policing has been expanding throughout the county.
In April, the Cape May County Sheriff's Office began using an anonymous text-messaging tip line to help fight crime, with the hope of reaching young people regarding activity in schools and neighborhoods.
Leusner said Middle Township's Facebook site is not intended especially for young people. Some fans of the department include retired Middle Township police officers.
"I was amazed 725 people have become a fan of the police department in less than a week," he said.
Contact Brian Ianieri:
609-463-6713
Posted in Cape_may on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 2:10 am
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