It seems that the latest emerging tool for crime solving isn't a gun, handcuffs, fingerprints or DNA...But updates, profiles and pictures on social networking sites. Some people of course may disagree with the use of facebook and Twitter as resources for Police to do their job and solve crimes, however if we can use it to track down school mates or family generations, why not use it for the benefit of everyone? Associated Press (2010) uses the example of Police in Auburn, Maine. They had a Facebook page for three weeks before it provided Police with evidence to solve a vandalism case. "After putting surveillance video images on Facebook showing three teenagers trashing a hotel spa, police got several tips from people who recognized the boys".
I agree with Oullett (2010) when she states “for criminals, posting your every move could be a fast track to jail time”. She has published an interesting article on the issue and below are a few examples as to how social networking sites have been used to solve a crime.
• Police in Suffolk, Va., were able to identify suspects involved in a Dec. 14 street fight when cellphone videos were posted on YouTube.
• Police in Chattanooga, Tenn., discovered an online forum where residents were planning illegal drag races, staked out the area and ticketed participants.
• Police in Los Angeles used YouTube and Flickr to identify people suspected of being involved in riots following the June 2009 NBA Championship.
• In November, police in Minneapolis and St. Paul, arrested four people for assault after seeing videos they had posted of themselves.
• A Minneapolis man accused in a shooting was recently arrested after telling a friend about the crime in a Facebook message.
• In December, Massachusetts authorities caught a child-rape suspect after learning about his whereabouts on Facebook.
(USA Today “Cops Using YouTube to Find Criminals”)
Personally, I am all for private investigators and police using any tool available to solve crime for the benefit of society. I assume the people opposing the idea would be those who do not use or are not familiar with these social networking sites and thus do not understand the ‘public’ nature of them. I am sure authorities are not simply using these sites with the intention of breaching privacy laws, but instead are upholding their duties in society to enforce the law and ensure justice is served appropriately. This brings me to this week’s journalism class discussion on ‘Privacy’…
http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=131846&catid=82
http://suffolkmedialaw.com/2010/02/15/police-across-the-country-tap-into-facebook-youtube-to-solve-crimes/
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