Social Media Law Enforcement

With all the new advanced technology being made and new models of old ones being made everything is evolving so fast, and our society is changing with it. Cell phones, computers, and other forms or electronics are making it easier than ever to connect to the Internet so that citizens can socialize easier with friends, families, co-workers and even people in different parts of the world. According to ("Social Media and Law Enforcement",2016) “The Internet has been available for widespread public use since the early 1990s, in its two decades of existence the Web has become an integral part of everyday life. It is hard to recall how society functioned without it.”. Law enforcements have learned that criminals have evolved with technology as well,

Social media has different avenues that have helped and hindered the goal of law enforcement. Although social media can contribute to recruiting public support, it also can turn on a dime and do the opposite, due in part to the nature of the press Social media has many benefits for law enforcement agencies making catching criminals easier; law enforcement agencies use social media for other ways to enhances policing and the safety. According to ("Social Media Is Changing Law",2016) “Today, public security is a bit more sophisticated, and methods of communication much faster, law enforcement tools have evolved from wanted posters to police radio, patrol cars and social networks, such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.” Many times people commit crimes and go on social media site and brag about their crime, some offenders take pictures with the murder

Law enforcement agencies understand that social media can help them as well as cause them more problems, usually by what the law enforcement agencies release to the public which can lead the communities to take justice into their hands, but social media is also increasingly used by criminals and make law enforcement jobs that much harder. According to ("Social Media Is Changing Law,"2016) “Criminals using small mobile devices can create havoc, everything from sending out viruses and accessing protected sites, sending false IDs all that can be done at the speed of fingertips, where in the past it took a lot more time and effort.” Law enforcement is changing with social media and using it to their advantage but so are the criminals. When law enforcement agencies catch on to a new trend that criminals use on social media, they may have already moved on to another chapter in their crime spree. Another problem is that even though a criminal may be using Twitter or Facebook in a law enforcement agency’s jurisdiction, the company operating the platform may be based in another city or even a different country (). This makes it extremely hard for law enforcement to investigate crimes because they are having problems getting the particular information needed to prosecute because they may require a search warrant for a company in another state or country. According to ("Do police need a warrant",2016)