Using Social Media to Catch Criminals
August 17, 2007
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The uses of social media are limited only by creativity. We’re located in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina, and a nearby Sheriff’s office has turned to blogging to catch deadbeat dads. According to the website, at least one of the “gentlemen” on the site as of today shows as captured.
The deputy in charge, Sargent T.C. Yarborough says his case load has reached 1,000, but the blog has helped him catch 50 criminals.
The site, called “Find Deadbeats” is getting good local attention. This picture allegedly pictures the worst deadbeat on the site right now. The Sheriff’s office says that James P. Tyner owes his child(ren) $19,318.00. He seems broken up about it in this picture.
Some good lessons for all of us:
- Think creatively about social media applications;
- It’s significantly easier for the first person to do something creative to get news coverage than it is for the second person, so don’t wait;
- Social media unleashes the power of crowds, and people will help you do your work if you make it interesting to them.
With $1.1 billion owed in delinquent child support right now, a lot of people think finding deadbeats like these is interesting.
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