Police Departments across the state of Utah are increasingly turning to social media platforms such as facebook and twitter as a means of both tracking criminal activity and for public awareness purposes. It is not uncommon for us to hear of a story in which police were able to make an arrest after an individual boasted of their criminal activity online. It may go without saying, but it is surely never a good idea for you to post pictures on your facebook or instagram account of you smoking pot or showing off the items you stole from a store. Believe it or not, some people have posted just these things or worse to their online accounts and been arrested as a result.
Orem Police Department Using Pinterest
Recently, KSL ran a story describing the Orem City Police Department’s use of Pinterest. Orem PD set up a Pinterest account and are actively posting wanted persons and photos of people they need to identify. The department seems to be having quite a bit of success with the public response to their accounts. Recently 2 arrests were made by Orem PD after posting pictures on their twitter account of the alleged suspects.
Florida Man Arrested after Commenting on his Own Wanted Photo
Here is a little tip, if a police department posts a wanted photo of you on their facebook account, probably not a good idea to comment with a little tirade about the photo. That is exactly what a Florida Burglary Suspect did according to an article by the Huffington Post. Apparently the man left a series of comments accusing the department of wrongfully posting the information and details of his defense and alibi. 2 days later the man was arrested after officers were able to track him down. It is unclear whether or not the man’s engagement with the department online led the police to any further information regarding his location.
