Evolution of Policing: Part 2

Social Media Allows Law Enforcement to Engage with Community

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Dramatic photos and videos have spread around the internet like wildfire, portraying law enforcement as “the bad guys,” but some Northland police departments are using the tool as a way to connect positively with the community.

“I mean the environment’s been difficult for the last year and a half,” explained Superior Police Chief Nick Alexander.

He’s hoping positive pictures of officers spending time with the community will show they do more than just arrest people, “It’s not just about us going out and arresting people, but engaging with our citizens, playing with our kids, demonstrating some of our capabilities and hopefully humanizing some of us,”

“We want people to be able to approach an officer and say, ‘hey I got this problem,'” explained Officer Ron Tinsley with the Duluth Police Department.

“Younger folks tend to use social media more than older folks and quite frankly younger folks are those that tend to have more encounters with the police,” explained Rob Weidner, associate professor and department head for Sociology and Anthropology for the University of Minnesota – Duluth.

“When a kid hears “police” they think cops and robbers and older people often think the police make arrests and put people to jail and there is a lot more that we do and a lot of other services that we provide,” explained Chief Alexander.

Their goal is to seem more relateable.

“They’ll see an officer on the Lakewalk, or on the street, and they’ll say ‘hey, can we get a photo with ya?'” said Officer Tinsley.

Officer Tinsley says with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts, the Duluth Police Department is taking advantage of opportunities to educate the public.

“It’s a way for us to inform the public on crime prevention tips as well as other safety tips,” explained Officer Tinsley.

Some posts show how to protect yourself from identity theft and prevent burglaries.

Officer Tinsley tells us people even share photos with him, “An example, finding a syringe on the ground.”

He then can share those photos with the public and give tips on what to do in certain situations, “I’ll take some of those photos and use those as an example of what you need to do if you find a syringe on the ground.”

The officers tell us they’ve had many followers notice the effort and say “thanks.”

“The members of the department see that and realize hey it’s not everybody out there disliking the police, there’s actually a majority of the people who appreciate us.” said Chief Alexander.