Philadelphia Police Department Beefs Up Online Presence
Keeping up with the times, the Philadelphia Police Department is going online to help keep criminals off the street. How are they doing this? According to a CBS News report, Philadelphia police officials are changing the way their department is using the World Wide Web. For example, they are posting specific surveillance videos minutes after the crime has been reported. Recently, footage taken immediately after a robbery in a clothing store in Center City was posted online. The police department also uploaded the surveillance video on YouTube.
Not only that, phillypolice.com has a sex offender database for sexual assault in Philadelphia and will soon put up a Facebook page for crime and police matters citywide. Officials say the Philadelphia Police Department’s Web site gets 20,000 additional page views after the Web site has been revamped and beefed up. In the near future, the department also plans on adding apps for iPhone and other smart phones.
This may be a positive and proactive approach taken by the Philadelphia Police Department. Social networking has interestingly changed the nature of police work. This police department seems to understand that these days there is more social interaction online than on the street. However, crime prevention is something that cannot be limited only to the Internet.
Michael Monheit is the managing lawyer at Monheit Law, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has practiced law since 1989. Michael Monheit was the managing attorney of the law offices of Herbert Monheit — now Silverman and Fodera — a firm... Michael Monheit→