Philadelphia Police Make 100th Arrest With Help Of Social Media
By Natasha Brown
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A violent gunpoint robbery may have gone unsolved had the entire incident not been captured on surveillance camera. An even more speedy arrest was made possible by how expeditiously Philadelphia police were able to upload the video to social media sites.
"They develop a clip two to four minutes of the crime itself...Twitter, Facebook, YouTube."
This video from October 1st lead to the 100th arrest of a wanted suspect in Philadelphia using social media.
And the city is not alone. Police departments in Cherry Hill, Gloucester and Evesham Township, New jersey, are actively posting on Facebook and tweeting about crimes that need solving in their areas. Evesham has the third largest outreach for a department of its size with 10,000 Facebook fans.
Police believe these sites make crime solving more engaging and tip calling more accessible.
"Their doing it on their own time, looking at these images on their smartphones, when they're home on their couch on vacation, helping us solve crime," said
Videos posted to these sites are made easier by the number of cameras perched on buildings, in stores and along streets. More and more criminals finding themselves the topic of police tweets and Facebook posts.
"In Philadelphia 75 times a day you're being recorded by video that's in any neighborhood," said
There is an app for everything now as well, even crime solving. The Philadelphia Police Department is launching its "I watch Philadelphia" app where you can send tips and report suspicious activity in your neighborhood.
