Chicago Police "Tweetalong" Hijacked By Critics
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Police in Chicago and Baltimore hoped to communicate with the public through social media Thursday night, but their experiment might not have turned out as they wished.
The Chicago and Baltimore police departments were taking part in what they called a "tweetalong," allowing Twitter users to follow along in real time as officers posted about what they were doing.
Police used the hastags #tweetalong and #CPDBPD as they live-tweeted about incidents to which they responded, and about interactions with citizens.
Baltimore police tweeted a photo of an officer stopping to talk with a group of neighbors while on foot patrol, and taking a selfie with three citizens.
Chicago police tweeted a photo of an officer with two people at The Beer Bistro in the West Loop.
At one point, Twitter user @AnonCopWatch posted "I vote we hijack this #CPDBPD."
Several people then began using the #CPDBPD and #tweetalong to highlight allegations of police misconduct and brutality.
Twitter user @AnonCopWatch wrote "Just after the fiasco of a #CPDBPD #tweetalong Chicago_Police shoot someone," in response to a tweet about a police-involved shooting in the South Chicago neighborhood late Thursday night.
And @prof_carrington tweeted, "Why are the @BaltimorePolice friends of @Chicago_Police instead of their communities? What's their common interest #CPDBPD #BlackLivesMatter."