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8 | MAY3-MAY 16,2013 I
During the recent terrorist attack in Boston, I was following
the developments with concern as they unfolded on live tele
vision, as was most of America. The questions and the eventu
al hunt for those responsible dominated the 24/7 news cycle of
the major cable news channels. Unfortunately, much of the in
formation being pushed out was conjecture and speculation,
sprinkled with outright untruths and false information.
In addition, there seemed to be information overload.
Fortunately, the Boston Police Department utilizes social
media to communicate with its citizens. In this case, the de
partment’s Twitter channel became the go-to source for accu
rate and timely information.
Law enforcement began using social media several years ago,
and today that use has skyrocketed. Agencies, both large and
small, recognize the value of using social media to communi
cate with its citizens, promote their department, create a two-
way dialogue, bypass the media filter, and disseminate timely information in the event of
a real-time crisis.
Of course, most of the information disseminated by police agencies about real-time
events is not as critical as the Boston bombing, nor do the routine events garner such na
tional attention. Nonetheless, the information about these local events is still of value to
the community.
The Dunwoody Police Department began using social media the day we began opera
tions as a police department on April 1, 2009. Since that first day, our use of social media
has expanded, and our engagement with the community using social media has increased
tremendously. On a daily basis, we push out information about real-time events such as
traffic accidents, road closures, suspects we may be searching for and other information
which may affect our community or where the community could assist our department.
Currently, the Dunwoody Police Department is a leader in a police department’s use
of social media. We have 2,700 likes on Facebook, 74 subscribers on YouTube and 4,634
followers on Twitter. We also use the social media platform “Interactive Defense” to con
nect about 1,800 citizens within our neighborhoods.
In the Boston bombing case, the Boston Police Department, through their Twitter ac
count @Boston_Police, provided timely updates throughout the developing investigation
and manhunt after the bombing.
Two posts on Twitter stand out as excellent. The first was after CNN and other news
channels erroneously reported the arrest of a suspect. A tweet from the Boston Police read
as follows: “Despite reports to the contrary, there has not been an arrest in the marathon
attack.”
The second post was made during the intensive manhunt. The media was every
where filming the police, and the following tweet was sent by the Boston Police: “#Medi-
aAlert: WARNING: Do not compromise officer safety by broadcasting tactical positions
of homes being searched.” This tweet was re-tweeted over 20,000 times. The Boston Po
lice Department’s Twitter followers increased from about 40,000 to over 317,000 during
this crisis.
Of course, this was not the first incident where social media was used by law enforce
ment in a crisis of great magnitude. In 2010, the Vancouver Police Department created a
Facebook page to help identify suspects in the Olympic riot. And in 2011, the same de
partment created a blog to help identify the Stanley Cup rioters. However, the media cov
erage and scrutiny of these incidents paled in comparison to the Boston bombing.
Fortunately, events such as the Boston Marathon bombing are extremely rare. Unfor
tunately, the thirst for information exhibited by both the media and the public is far too
common. In cases like this, where real-time events are unfolding and information may be
needed by investigators or safety alerts may need to be provided, the police departments
involved are your best and most accurate source of information. The police departments
do their level best not to disseminate information unless they know it is accurate. In ad
dition, they try to avoid alarming citizens unnecessarily.
The @Boston_Police department, @FBIBoston and the @MassStatePolice all used so
cial media, particularly Twitter, to inform, solicit information, and to correct false and
misleading information.
In fact, the Boston Police Department continues to provide information in the after-
math of the Boston Marathon bombing. The department recently tweeted information
for those who left their personal property behind when they fled the area of the bombing
on how to retrieve their items.
Billy Grogan is chief of police for the city of Dunwoody.
www.ReporterNewspapers.net
BILLY
GROGAN
GUEST COLUMN
STREET TALK
OcCA
Asked at the Peachtree Road
Farmers Market
Q: Did the bombings
in Boston change the
way you think about
attending large outdoor
community events?
“No, I don’t want to be scared
for the rest of my life about
going somewhere. I can’t
change how people behave.”
Chru i Anderjon
“No, you can’t be intimidated.
You just have to keep living
your life. You can’t live in fear.”
Mark Berkowitz
“No, it’s a chance you take. I
could get hit by a bus, or have a
heart attack or a stroke. I’m not
going to stop my life for it.”
Karen Davenport
“I probably would be more
cautious, depending on what
city I’m in, if it’s New York
or Boston or Atlanta at the
Peachtree race this year.”
Boh Clinard
BH
