There are multiple ways that criminals use social media. Some of those options include the following:
– Online threats, stalking, and Cyberbullying – are probably the most committed crimes that are unreported. This type of activity goes unpunished and the victims need to make a statement to the police if they feel threatened. Criminals conduct acts of cyberbullying by posting or starting rumors, threatening people, and even disclosing someone’s personal information like their sexual orientation (Khoury, 2019).
– Hacking and fraud- criminals create fake accounts and trick people into making payments on things, target companies and elderly people to give or take sensitive information and use it to their advantage, like lying to the elderly to get their money, or gain access to a company’s network and infect their malware.
– Burglaries and robberies -criminals use social media to see when people are on vacation and target them. They break into their homes and rob them of their valuables.
– Videos of criminal activity – criminals use social media to post their crimes. They are posting images of weapons and flashing money they have stolen.
There are multiple ways Criminal Justice Professionals use social media. Those options include:
– Community Engagement – Police agencies utilize social media to interact with the community, update police activities that are involved in other areas of the community such as the schools, and provide local criminal activity that reoccurs.
– Investigations – Police agencies utilize all social media platforms to open investigations. They use photos, videos, names, and more to try and gather the necessary information to solve the case.
– Public Safety – Criminal justice professionals use social media to display images or videos of perpetrators committing crimes. They use social media to ask for the public’s help to identify such criminals.
– Missing Person/ Abduction – Police agencies utilize social media to help with locating missing or abducted individuals. They use all platforms of social media to increase the likelihood of locating these individuals.
Overall, social media has become a resourceful tool for law enforcement agencies. The characteristics of collaboration and interactive communication that are at the core of social media align well with the goals of law enforcement (IACP, 2023). In addition, social media has become a valuable platform for police agencies in community outreach, maintaining public safety, recruiting resources, preventative and investigative crime objectives, and more. However, social media has created an “infodemic” responsible for rapid, widespread information and disinformation (Dawkins, 2023), which can quickly change the public’s perspective on issues regarding the police.
References:
Dawkins, S. (2023, March 13). Law enforcement and social media: Strengthening the bond. Police1. https://www.police1.com/social-media-for-cops/articles/law-enforcement-and-social-media-strengthening-the-bond-2LlrtDOVay1Cw7Bv/#:~:text=It%20has%20created%20a%20positive,rapid%2C%20widespread%20information%20and%20disinformation.
IACP. (2023). Social Media*. International Association of Chiefs of Police. https://www.theiacp.org/resources/policy-center-resource/social-media#:~:text=Social%20media%20provides%20a%20potentially,investigative%2C%20and%20crime%20prevention%20objectives.
Khoury, G. (2019). 5 common types of social media crime – findlaw. Findlaw. https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/criminal-defense/5-common-types-of-social-media-crime/
In response to two of your peers, discuss how the social media use described in the initial post can affect the community.
