September 2012
Officer Timothy Mitten
Community Action Officer
BlackMountainPrecinct
Phoenix Police Department
If you would have said the words “like me on Facebook” or “follow me on Twitter” just a few years ago, people would have looked at you like you were from another world. Well, those phrases and social media sites are just two of the many new aspects of our world today. I have written previously on the Internet and the dangers it can pose to our children through online predators, bullying and identity theft. The Internet has changed our world a thousand times over in the past couple decades and we can embrace the positive aspects of it and be aware of the negative ones.
One aspect of the Internet that is growing more and more every year is social media. Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. have applications that can be very beneficial to families and businesses. Businesses can now reach many more potential customers in an advertising medium that they may not have reached before, families can stay in touch or parents and grandparents can see video or get pictures of their loved ones even when separated by thousands of miles. Our brave and courageous military heroes can when available and allowed keep in touch through Skype with their families back home. Many people, and I count myself among them, believe we have lost some aspects of personal communication through the advances in technology but in moderation or in certain instances the technology enhances our lives.
Law enforcement is no different. We have harnessed the power of this new technology to expand our crime prevention programs, improve our partnerships with the community, and keep the citizens informed of current public safety events or incidents. This valuable tool will allow us to be proactive and reach out to the community to improve the communication between engaged residents and the police officers who work in their neighborhoods. Law enforcement can use social media to help support and sustain involvement in Block Watches in neighborhoods, and highlight various crime prevention topics that are timely for the season, such as Bicycle/Traffic Safety in August when kids are going back to school, burglary prevention during the summer and so on. The promotion of crime prevention events, current tips and even the hosting of web chats centered on crime prevention are other ways we can use social media to help prevent crime.
As is true with most things, there is a downside to social media and its involvement in crime is unmistakable. Social media sites can contribute to more worries for parents as their children are more exposed to online predators, adults are exposed to online hackers or identity thieves and there are new ways everyday that criminals are using social media to commit crime. One aspect that some may not know is when families post vacation plans or pictures on their social media sites for all to see. This opens you up to many people that you may not know finding out that you are gone and your home is open to being burglarized. The six degrees of separation theory comes into play which states that most people in the world are connected through friends and family after only six people. I know that you may think that your friends and family are okay and would never steal from you but all families and your friends have either other friends or family members who may commit crimes.
All it takes is a small conversation or postings on social media to open you up to thefts or burglary. Even if your Facebook is protected and you only allow certain people in, be careful of your postings; post the pictures when you return, not as you are there, be careful of conversations and postings announcing the future travel plans and do not link those postings or your Facebook or other social media sites to group, business or neighborhood social media sites. There have been several instances throughout the country of thieves targeting homes that they find out through social media that you are gone or going to be gone. It’s much less suspicious for thieves to surf the Internet for opportunities than drive around in a van like Joe Pesci’s character from Home Alone.
Social media is here to stay and we must embrace the positive aspects of it and be careful and protect ourselves from the negative parts. It comes down to a lot of awareness and common sense and if you are uncertain about how your social media site works, educate yourself on how it works, either through searching the web, a computer professional or any teenager!
If I can be of further assistance, please fell free to contact me at 602-495-5238 or at tim.mitten@phoenix.gov. Thanks again for being involved in your community and partnering with the Phoenix Police Department to help improve the quality of life and safety of your neighborhood.
