A photo of the inside of a Princeton Police patrol car posted on Twitter during the department’s recent tweet-along. The post said, “Our office on wheels.”
Princeton Police Department uses social media to strengthen relationship with community
By Cara Latham
“Patrols are investigating a suspicious person call, Zone 1, northwest section of town.”
That message was posted to the Princeton Police’s Twitter account (@PrincetonPolice) on Aug. 30 in real-time fashion as the incident unfolded. While the post may initially seem mostly informative, alerting residents to a situation that may require their attention, the tweet, among others that day, also served another purpose.
The department was working to facilitate a better relationship with the public by providing further insight into police activities within town borders as part of a pre-planned, live showcasing of their work as it unfolded. During the “tweet-along,” which lasted all day Aug. 30, anyone who followed the Princeton Police account on Twitter could see the updates and interact with the police if they wished to do so.
Police departments have traditionally held “ride-alongs,” in which a journalist from a local newspaper or news outlet accompanies a police officer for a certain period of time to report the police responses to various calls from around town.
While useful, what the Princeton Police are dubbing as “tweet-alongs” actually allow the residents to follow along as situations unfold, without the middleman telling the story. Using #policetweetalong as a hashtag, the goal was to foster a sense of transparency and to improve engagement with the public.
“We were trying to figure out a way to put a more positive spin on the things we were doing,” explained Cifelli. “We were doing things like having community blood drives, hosting National Night Out and holding a bike rodeo. These are things we wanted to promote to the public. We figured, ‘Why not do it through social media?’”
The tweet-alongs are the latest effort by the department to reach out to the community since it began using social media. As the followers grew on both the Princeton Police Department’s Facebook (www.facebook.com/princetontwppolice) and Twitter accounts (the accounts have surpassed 1,000 followers each), the department began posting real-time information on accidents in town and other incidents.
“That kind of evolved into the tweet-along,” explained Cifelli, who conceived the idea for the Princeton Police event. “I didn’t reinvent the wheel with the tweet-along. We actually got the idea from a colleague in the Wichita, Kansas Police Department. Tweet-alongs are tremendously popular in the Midwest.”
During the Aug. 30 tweet-along, Cifelli tweeted information about the calls the police received and even tried to add supplemental informative information to the public. In addition to the suspicious person call during the day-long tweet-along, other calls included one about a disabled vehicle on Terhune Road that was blocking traffic, a lost property incident, theft from a vehicle, and one about a vehicle lockout.
During that incident, Cifelli tweeted, “A Princeton resident has come in to HQ to report lost property. Dispatch has contact with a few dozen walk-ups each day. #policetweetalong.” The post not only gave followers an idea of what the police were doing, but also allowed them to learn something they might not have known.
Cifelli also tried to provide a positive spin on ticketing, which can be unpopular in any town, tweeting “Part of our job is keeping roadways safe, and that means writing tickets. It doesn’t always make us popular, but it’s what we do….” to the Twitter account. Pictures of the officers at a night shift briefing and an inside view of a patrol vehicle and its equipment were also among the posts.
Similarly, the police post pictures to the department’s Facebook page throughout the year — not just during tweet-alongs or designated times, including the events in which they participate and images from other work they do.
But the work doesn’t end there. In the two years that the police department has been actively engaged on social media, the police have transformed their social media accounts into more than just a vehicle for promoting events. The department’s social media presence not only posts information about community events, but also serves as a communication hub for getting important and timely messages to residents.
This was especially important during Hurricane Sandy, when many residents were without power and trying to share information about particular areas where there were downed wires, road closings, and areas where they could purchase gas or find a charging or warming station. In the days leading up to — and during the storm, and during the recovery efforts, Princeton Police committed to providing periodic updates on the Facebook page — a lesson they unfortunately learned from Hurricane Irene the previous year.
“In 2011, we had Hurricane Irene come through, and by our own admission, we dropped the ball,” Cifelli said. “We learned a hard lesson. If we say we’re going to get information out, we’re going to do that.”
During Sandy, the department was prepared to get the information to residents as frequently and accurately as possible. “We got a lot of really good feedback in getting the information out. There were people who didn’t have power. All they had was their smartphones and devices,” Cifelli said.
The Princeton Police’s own efforts to use social media during Sandy was widely lauded on the department’s Facebook page during the updates, with residents and followers commenting on posts. On one of the many posts during that time period was at 11 a.m. on Oct. 30, when the police provided an update about road closures around town. A number of residents commented on the status update to thank the police for the updates.
“Great community service, current and helpful. Thanks,” wrote Facebook user George Harvey.
“Thank you for continuing to update this information. It is very helpful. One would very much like to see the power restored as soon as possible,” wrote another user, Marvin Cheiten.
While Cifelli says it is hard to gauge the specific effect the tweet-along has had on community relations, Princeton Police have received a wealth of good feedback.
“The community does need to see what we’re doing on a regular basis,” Cifelli said.
Cifelli says the officers in the department, as well as township officials are supportive of the tweet-alongs, which he hopes to conduct at least on a quarterly basis as part of the ongoing social media efforts, especially as the police continue to spread the word about the community events they are holding, including the D.A.R.E. program they are reintroducing in the schools.
“We’re trying to get that larger picture with the police department as far as the effort we’re putting forth in the community,” says Cifelli. “Social media gives us that vehicle to promote and be a part of it as well.”
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