Is it okay for the police to monitor your social media channels?

Today, police have many tools when it comes to catching criminals. The next tool they utilize may allow them to never leave their desk, and may be able to predict criminal activity before it happens. With more and more people having multiple social media accounts, it is easier than you think to find out information about someone. On the horizon for law enforcement will be learning how to integrate social media monitoring software as a way to catch real life criminals.  We will be discussing different things to keep in mind when writing a policy on how to use social media monitoring systems and some examples of how social media has helped catch criminals in the past.

Policies and Procedures for Investigating on Social Media

Creating a policy that governs how an agency will use the monitoring software ensures that all employees align with the goals and objectives of the agency. To use social media monitoring responsibly, start off with a policy that has a mission to support how you plan on using social media to capture information when dealing with the general public. However, if you are a convicted criminal, or on probation, perhaps your policy states that all posts will be scrutinized.

When monitoring the general public, there could be three levels on to how you would be observed.

• Level one would be just like anybody trying to view your profile. If your privacy settings are strict and the police have no reason to monitor your account, they would not be able to view the content of your account.
• Level two would be a discreet status of viewing where the law enforcement agency identity would remain hidden when viewing different profiles because if their identity was found out it would damper the collection of evidence.
• Level three would be similar to an undercover police officer where they could have a completely fake profile and they would be able to view all content no matter the privacy settings.

If police collect enough evidence to potential indict someone on criminal charge they would need more evidence then just a post or a tweet. Police need a registered IP address to authenticate the user information, have a suspect’s confession, or witness statements.

Social Media Monitoring as a Crime Stopper

Some people are not very savvy and post on social channels about crimes they have already committed. An example of this can be found in Seattle, where 18-year-old Jacob Cox- Brown described his drunken driving accident on Facebook. The police could not charge him with DUI, but he was held accountable for failing to control his vehicle.

Another example of social media saving the day could be found when Oklahoma native Misty Van Horn was trying to sell her child for $4,000 to bail her boyfriend out for jail.

Police don’t always need to search profiles of the accused to find evidence. Social media can be handy when trying to collect information about a physical description, vehicle descriptions, and details of a crime.

How SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. Can Help Police Forces

SACS Consulting & Investigative Services, Inc. offers a SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY TRAINING PROGRAM and SOCIAL MEDIA SAFETY TIPS. We have trained personnel that can come into your police force, company or non-profit organization to train your employees and volunteers about what to look for and how to report criminal activity.

Give SACS Consulting a call today at 330-255-1101 to learn more about our training and tips!