Policy Development: Use of Social Media in Law Enforcement

Policy Development Draft Assignment
Name
University
CJUS 520
Professor
November 20, 2022
Abstract
Social media sites can be used to conduct or instigate criminal activity. Law enforcement agencies must recognize the function and concept of social media sites, including how such resources and tools can be leveraged to mitigate, prevent, investigate, and respond to criminal activity. Many federal entities, including law enforcement agencies, are also utilizing social media platforms as an instrument to engage the public, including sharing information on crime patterns, updating citizenry on social events, or offering security tips to keep citizens safe. Law enforcement officers can abuse social media sites by using information sourced from such platforms as evidence without verifying its authenticity. In addition, police officers can use a personal account for law enforcement purposes, even when off-duty, thus causing legal and ethical concerns. Law enforcers can use social media for community cooperation and crime prevention efforts. This report evaluates police officers’ social media usage and the best practices in social media application, especially in creating strong police-community ties, thus creating increasingly peaceful communities. The paper also indicates that police officer’s social media usage should be geared at achieving crime prevention ends. It also includes a department policy outline for police officers’ social media use, especially for official instead of personal purposes.
Policy Development Draft Assignment
Law enforcement agencies can leverage social media opportunities in diverse dimensions, including community engagement and outreach, criminal investigation, intelligence development, and analytical assessments, among other vital routine functions. Social media policy should empower police to use tools consistent with applicable laws, agency policies, and community expectations. In addition, law enforcement personnel and agencies should acknowledge and use the available communication approaches to develop a connection to the communities and thus enhance security and social sustainability. This report evaluates issues related to law enforcement agencies’ use of social media, the use of social media by law enforcement agencies to enhance community cooperation and crime prevention, and best practices for police concerning using social media sites, and includes a departmental policy outline related to social media use.
Law Enforcement Abuse of Social Media
There is the potential that police officers could abuse social media, thus undermining their credibility as valid sources of evidence in a court case. Social media can be used as an impeachment evidence source within a case where the officer acts as the witness. While on duty, officers might post reckless statements describing their mood or feelings. For example, an officer might post: “feeling devious,” thus compromising their integrity and the criminal justice system (CJS). Although officers’ personal social media accounts might serve as critical evidence sources, such reckless posts undermine the pursuit of justice based on them (Tobin, 2020). In this context, the attorneys are likely to d...