Volunteers use social media to spread police information
A group of social media-based crime watch volunteers is helping to spread the word about Flint police activity as part of an effort to get people involved in fighting crime.By: The Associated Press, Superior Telegram
FLINT, Mich. (AP) — A group of social media-based crime watch volunteers is helping to spread the word about Flint police activity as part of an effort to get people involved in fighting crime.
The Flint Journal reports Wednesday that Flint Police Operations is run by about 20 volunteer administrators who post updates on 911 dispatch radio traffic to Facebook and Twitter. The newspaper says the effort began last year and has been running 24 hours a day.
Volunteer Kat VanSickle is a paramedic and a 911 dispatcher in the Detroit suburb of Southfield. She says the hope is to keep Flint residents informed about crime and get them involved in reporting tips that might help police. VanSickle says: "We are not vigilantes. We have computers."
The group isn't directly affiliated with police.
Information from: The Flint Journal, http://www.mlive.com/flint.
Tags: business, crime, technology
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