Follow Friday is back! Each week in this post we will tip you off to public agencies who are making the most of social media. We’ll scour the internet for Twitter and Facebook standouts who inspire us.
As with many government entities, police departments across the nation are trying to find more innovative ways to engage citizens with social media. Just this week the Anne Arundel County Police Department in Maryland used their #WantedWednesday profile to
catch a criminal bold enough to taunt them with posts on the department’s own Facebook page. As Anne Arundel Police Chief Kevin Davis says,
Social Media is a great tool for law enforcement and we appreciate our Social Media Sleuths. Community involvement is paramount to law enforcement’s success and the amount of tips that we receive daily on social media shows how much ownership citizens are taking in their own communities.
Brimfield, Ohio PD (@BrimfieldPolice)
This tiny department with fewer than 15 sworn officers has ten times as many followers as it does citizens, thanks to the no-nonsense folksy style that allows the personality of the chief and the department to shine through. Brimfield still gets serious policing done using social media, but the endearing posts keep followers engaged through more light hearted means.
Dunwoody, Georgia PD (@DunwoodyPolice)
Though a step up in size from the Brimfield department, Dunwoody’s social media accounts keep its followers engaged in a similar fashion. These guys mix in funny pictures and posts to take the edge off the more serious police work.
Boca Raton, Florida PD (@BocaPolice)
With over 100 members, the Boca Raton department falls more into the mid-size category. Their pages emphasize strong police work and their care for citizens without coming across as dry and boring.
Arlington, Texas PD (@ArlingtonPD)
Everything’s bigger in Texas, and that includes this department with over 500 sworn officers. Usually departments of this size are forced to focus more on the business end, but Arlington’s pages mix requests for citizen help in locating suspects with “meet your officer” events and features on its K-9 officers to spice things up.
Boston, Massachusetts PD (@bostonpolice)
The largest of our Follow Friday departments with over 1000 sworn officers, the Boston PD has well-integrated Facebook and Twitter pages that keeps followers up to date on official business regarding crimes. But in between those posts are wonderful pictures of children’s events, meet and greets, and benefit walks that show the good that the department does for the public.
