Frank Archer, a 22-year veteran of the Mansfield Police Department, was against the use of social media for years, and now, he is one of the main contributors to the department’s Facebook and Twitter page that was created in 2011, and he even maintains his own personal Facebook page.
“It’s the generation of social media. If we’re ignoring that, then we are not communicating,” Archer said.
Whether it be warning the public of a road closing, a follow-up to a case going on in Mansfield, or a simple Happy Holidays wish, the Mansfield Police Department is taking advantage of social media to reach the public.
One police department that has been extremely popular as of late and has benefitted greatly from social media is the Bourne Police Department on Cape Cod.
Just passing 40,000 followers on Facebook this past weekend and gaining about 150 followers a day, the Bourne Police Department feels more connected than ever.
Sgt. Brandon Esip, one of the page’s main contributors, said the initial reluctance in using social media changed following a murder in town.
After a citizen of the town created a Facebook page in memoriam, and gained over 20,000 followers overnight, the department was convinced to use social media.
The department saw this as an opportunity.
The department figured using social media was good way get information out, as well as to get tips and possibly solve cases faster
Detective Kenneth Wright of the Mansfield Police Department also said that social media is a good tool to both do background investigations and solve cases.
“People are sometimes smart enough to post pictures of paraphernalia and say exactly where their location is, leaving us with no work to do other than to go and find them,” Wright said.
Although some social media usage by criminals may be comical, the Bourne Police Department’s Facebook page provides a different level of entertainment.
“The humor is truly what separates us from other departments,” Esip said.
From posting about the “Inn” and their weekly guests in reference to the criminals and their cells, to joking about the traffic and using the “catapult” to get across the Bourne bridge, the department knows how to make people laugh.
Local followers are not the only ones that are laughing about their posts. People from across the United States and 35 countries follow the Facebook page.
Speaking of followers, the Bourne Police is in good company. The department holds the 4th most Facebook followers in the state of Massachusetts.
According to Facebook.com, the only departments ahead of them are the Mass State Police with 235,997 followers, the Boston Police Department with 162,765 followers, and the Worcester Police Department with 44,285 followers, who they will pass soon enough.
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