NCJ Number
250833
Date Published
2012
Length
1 page
Annotation
After reviewing the features of social media, this fact sheet explains how campus law enforcement agencies can use it to enhance their efforts to promote campus safety.
Abstract
Social media is structured to enable individuals and groups to interact online with other participants in the network to facilitate the sharing of information and cooperation in common missions. It could enable campus law enforcement agencies to post messages for the rapid notification of events, emergency security information, and other emergencies. The only cost associated with the use of social media is the time spent posting content or interacting with those in communication with the agency. Some campus law enforcement agencies use social media to present safety tips for students. For campus law enforcement agencies that use social media, it is important to have a social-media policy that addresses the distinctive concerns and functions of the agency. It is also helpful to have a strategy that identifies how the agency plans to use social media. It should be used to assist students in crime prevention and safety measures rather than as an enforcement tool against students.