Social Media In Criminal Justice Psychology Assignment (Essay Sample)

Social media in criminal justice
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According to researchers from lexisNexis many law enforcement agencies have adopted the use of social media (Twitter, Facebook and other networks) in investigations however the same study has found that more than half of the agencies doesn’t have a formal process for using social media in investigation. The law enforcement agencies use social media for the following purposes; locating where the suspects are or being able to recognize them, being able to obtain a probable cause, being able to anticipate violence and dispatch officers to keep peace by monitoring the mood of large events or protests. As various police department develop policies governing the use of new technologies guidelines for using social media in investigation should be laid out by the command staff. As seen in the previously scenario, during the investigation on the officer regarding the shooting he goes to an extent of posting pictures to the public concerning the incident, this some people including the victim’s family members will find offensive. Hence social media policies should be clearly established on when, how and why officers should be using social media in investigation. In every enforcement agency officers should be trained on how to verify information from social media as they can be misleading.
The agency will first identify the platform to use and be able to understand when it’s important. After which decisions are made and an approval granted for the agency to go forward with the social media in question. On the other hand the agencies reputation can be impaired without a blueprint to direct the investigators overall strategy. The following is a checklist on how the agency could move on with the investigation:
* For each social media platform the agency should be able to decide who the administrator should be – by nature social media is interactive and social the agency will then pick someone or a group of people who are good at engaging citizens, following up on request and are knowledgeable about the agency.
* The agency will then decide on what information to post online and how often the information is posted. The agency can decide not to put anything online that gives information or relate to the ongoing officer.
* The agency should decide on how to interact with its users using the social media sites – the agency can be able to control its tone and conversation by restricting posts made on their social media sites regarding the shooting. The agency can also decide to invite comments and seek input to questions made by the users. Both strategies will be able to work for the agency.
* A social media policy defining the scoop of the agency should be created – the agency should articulate methods by which the employees and users interact with each other.
* Any message should be considered before posting or the agency can first get a second opinion whether or not they should be posting the message. The agency should have in mind the RED FLAGS on the messages they post which can get the agency into trouble.
* To expect any benefit from social media the agency should be able to...