While some law enforcement agencies remain blissfully and ignorantly anachronistic, plenty of others have jumped into social media and the digital world to help spread the word about wanted criminals. (There was probably an opportunity for a “social media spurs for digital cowboy boots” joke there, but whatever. We could have just as easily made a Duck Hunt gun reference, too.)
The Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department launched a tepid step onto Facebook “less than 500 days ago.” What we imagine started as an opportunity to recruit staffers to Farmville actually turned out to be useful, with the mugshots of wanted fugitives featuring prominently.
That same Facebook page posted today, announcing that to date, just over 700 fugitives have been taken into custody thanks to tips stemming from the Sheriff’s social media efforts.
Sheriff Bob Reid’s comments:
This article appears in May 25-31, 2011.
