How can social media help law enforcement

ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI)- Social media, it’s a way to stay connected. And some people are using it to spread awareness about possible crimes.

Law enforcement is taking notice, and sometimes making connections of their own

“A lot of our information comes from social media. Whether it be Facebook, Snapchat, or any other apps that are out there. So, basically when something is posted, the first thing we do is get a call that says have you seen this or have you seen that and then we take it into notion as to what’s going on, why is it being posted,” said Chief Henry Randle.

Aberdeen Police Chief Henry Randle said they rely on the community when working on investigations.

“Nobody breaks the law in front of the police officers. Nobody does anything that’s going to require law-enforcement attention. So, the citizens of Aberdeen have always been a big impact for us for our success rate for us, as far as getting crimes and getting them over to Circuit Court and getting them convicted,” said Chief Randle.

While not all social media posts are factual, Chief Randle said most have at least a grain of truth.

“We go and look into it to see if there’s any truth to it nine times out of 10 there is some truth to it, but it’s not to the extent where the law has been broken as of yet,” said Chief Randle.

Of course, police have to know about a crime before they can begin investigating it.

“The problem that we face is that when they think there’s a crime being committed no one ever comes to the police department,” said Chief Randle.

Chief Randle said if you find yourself in a suspicious situation, there are some things you can do to help not only you but police.

“If you’re in an environment where you’re uncomfortable, get on the phone. Make a phone call someone. Give that person a landmark, if you see a street address or something, give that person a street address, you know at that time. Our cell phones are a big priority now. We never leave home without them. So, basically that’s how we do a lot of our information,” said Chief Randle.

Chief Randle said some posts do spark panic. He told us if you have questions about a post that concerns you, call Law Enforcement, so they know to look into it.