Athens law enforcement turn to Twitter and Facebook to aid in their investigations of crimes.
During a night out on the town two or three years ago, two men stole a woman’s purse full of money. Because of a picture posted to Twitter, the Athens Police Department was able to catch the individuals.
Whether it’s a video obtained by APD, or the Ohio University Police Department using the Internet to send out alerts to students, social media can assist local police departments in solving crime.
APD Police Chief Tom Pyle said his department’s most common use for social media is identifying a burglar who was caught on camera. A quick login to Facebook helps aid in matching a description to an actual individual.
A survey conducted by LexisNexis Risk Solutions in 2012 concluded 67 percent of officers surveyed believe social media helped to solve crimes more quickly. Those surveyed included 1,200 officers from federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
“We can get a snapshot of a suspect walking out of a burglarized home with a TV,” Pyle said. “We check social media and lo and behold, there will be that picture of that person on their social media webpage.”
Pyle added that a detailed description, along with an idea of a burglar's identity, helps refine the search process once officers are looking online.
Athens City Law Director Lisa Eliason said social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have helped solve cases in her office.
In a case involving a man older than 21 years old giving alcohol to a woman who was under 21, the man claimed he didn’t know the woman wasn’t 21. When Eliason’s prosecutor looked at the man’s Facebook page, it was discovered that the man’s status was “in a relationship” with the woman.
“If a case goes to trial, the evidence must be authenticated,” Eliason said. “Oftentimes, it is difficult to prove who sent a message or posting. ... In that case, the IP address is critical.”
Eliason said although it’s rare, her office is has been faced with trying to figure out from where a message originated.
“There is a lot of opportunity for other people to post on your behalf,” Eliason said.
Because of this, an IP address is necessary to prove who and where the communication came from, whether it’s a Tweet or a Facebook status.
Eliason said her office sent a subpoena to Facebook for an IP address, but it couldn’t help.
“We hear all the time that someone broke into my email, or that someone was posing as me on Facebook,” Eliason said.
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Eliason said telecommunication harassment used to be in the form of telephone harassment, but things have changed during the years. Due to all of the available avenues of communication, the term has broadened into the spectrum of social media.
Instead of paper newsletters or relying on community members to talk among themselves, OUPD uses social media for many aspects of its daily duties.
Lt. Tim Ryan from OUPD has received tips from residents based on information published on social media, which has then directly assisted in issuing charges.
“Social media greatly helps us in both alerting our community to potential danger and in asking the community for help solving crime,” Ryan said.
On Aug. 28, the Twitter account @oupolice tweeted a picture of a burglar exiting Courtside Pizza on Court Street in hopes of identifying the individual who stole money from the establishment in July.
APD is investigating the crime but has yet to identify the individual.
Though social media use is becoming a common practice for officers fighting crime, it doubles as a way for law enforcement offices to reach out to the local community.
“Social media provides another avenue for the community to get to know us, ask questions and share information,” Ryan said.
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