Social media content has been helpful to police in many ways. In some instances, criminals themselves make the mistake of using social media to their disadvantage. These are two real life examples:

1. Three teenagers break into a junior high school and steal items. They are easily caught after posting images of their exploits on SnapChat, where several classmates see this and tell their parents and the school.

2. A victim met a gentleman in an apartment’s parking lot to buy a handgun. As they were agreeing on terms, the gentleman allegedly loaded the gun and demanded the victim’s belongings. The person handed over his money in an envelope, at which point the gentleman got into a vehicle and fled. Instagram posts led to his arrest, on his own accord.

In other instances, police rely on other social media data to assist with crime investigations and even crime prevention. However, there are some risks that come along with it. One example comes from eyewitness recollection and the increase in social media usage. It’s widely known that eyewitness testimony can be unreliable; some research indicates that up to 70% of wrongful convictions are due to eyewitness inaccuracy. With regard to social media, this intensifies as everyone now plays “detective” in news making situations, providing potentially false information on public venues, creating additional work on the part of law enforcement as they sort through millions of social media posts and content and follow up on these leads.

While it can be tricky, law enforcement’s use of social media data has surely been invaluable. It’s important though, as citizens, we let law enforcement do their job and not muddy up the waters, so to speak. I can imagine their social sites receive well more tips than a traditional hotline; they have tools and resources to better sort through information, but it is helpful to “post with caution” when news breaks and not flood inboxes with information that may or may not be helpful.