Facebook is not just a tool for connecting with friends and relatives—that’s what local police departments are discovering, anyway. More and more local law enforcement agencies are creating their own Facebook pages and are noticing how the social medium can positively affect daily operations.
Officer Shane Gearhart said the Mansfield Police Department created a Facebook page a couple months ago.
“We made it with intentions to put information out to the public and to help identify unknown suspects and crimes,” he said.
With the recent kidnapping that occurred in Mansfield, the department published a Facebook post that asked the public to help locate one of the suspects involved in the kidnapping. “We caught [the suspect] before the post could really get shared around, but I think that eventually someone who knew him would have contacted us,” Gearhart said.
Gearhart said that he would like to see the department’s Facebook page used more to assist in solving crimes.
Noting another example of Facebook’s usefulness, Gearhart said, “The other day we had a gas line leak on South Main Street and I was able to put that information out so people could avoid that area.”
Still trying to make a presence on Facebook, the department has gotten quite a bit of inspiration from the Shelby Police Department, said Gearhart.
“They do a really good job at running their page and have had a lot of success with it,” he said.
Also new to Facebook, the Bellville Police Department created a Facebook page in May of this year.
Chief Ron Willey said that Facebook is a good resource that allows the department to communicate with the community and vice versa.
“A lot of people are taking advantage of social media, and it’s a great way to get info out,” he said.
While the department is still trying to determine what kinds of posts to make, Willey looks forward to the possibilities provided through the social media tool.
He referenced the Ontario Police Department’s Facebook post about a recent theft that occurred at the Mansfield Memorial Park. Ontario Police posted a video and description about the theft on their Facebook page, which was integral in helping them identify the suspect. The post was shared over 5,500 times and received over 1,600 comments.
“Look at the Ontario Police and how they were able to solve that case in a matter of a couple days,” Willey said.
Lt. Rob Griefenstine with the Ontario Police Department said, “In that particular situation, we were able to identify the suspect, which is part of the purpose of [our Facebook page]—to help us solve crimes and to help us communicate with the citizens so we can let them know what is going on.”
