Facebook Catches Crooks - Policing 2.0

The cops are catching on to the social media revolution and criminals might not like what they find.

In Ogden, Utah, a kidnapping suspect kept updating his Facebook profile after the police shut off power to the motel building where he was hiding. One friend told the suspect on Facebook that SWAT was staging in bushes nearby and told him to keep low. Police are thinking about charging the friend for helping the kidnapper.

In Indiana, it took police less than 30 minutes to find a suspected counterfeiter on Facebook. Police posted surveillance video of the woman they were looking for. A man saw the post and sent a message saying that he knew the woman. Less than thirty minutes later, police were questioning her about the counterfeit money. She has since been cleared of the charges.

Finally, Canadians in Victoria kept police updated on Twitter of criminal activities that they were witnessing. Police got messages about plans to vandalize a stretch of one street and responded to the area before anything could get out of hand. Police got specific tips about people drinking illegally in certain areas and responded to arrest. "At one point traffic was so heavy that VicPD, with 2,000 followers on Twitter, was trending as a national conversation."

Be careful what you tweet and what you put on Facebook. The police may be watching.