Today’s world of social media has made it so information is just a click away and spreading the news can happen at the click of a button. Though this certainly has its downfalls with false information sometimes spreading before it can be debunked, it can be used as a helpful tool for some organizations such as police departments.

The Ames and ISU police departments have both fully embraced social media platforms as a way to more closely communicate with the community. The two departments have their own Twitter and Facebook accounts and have proven that they are extremely effective with their use, each finding a social media voice that is informative, humorous and all around beneficial for the citizens of Ames.

More and more police departments are choosing to get social media accounts, but not all are using them quite as successfully as the Ames and ISU police. The two departments have used their accounts to inform the public on weather and road conditions, answer questions from community members and quickly disseminate information on missing persons and dangerous individuals. The accounts are highly accessible and add a voice between the officers and the community that they serve.

Just this last week, the Ames Police Department put out a message on missing person Thomas Dooley. The Facebook post gave the public the information they needed to be able to help with finding the individual, including how to contact the police with any information. 

The status allowed for the information to spread quickly as it was shared more than 500 times from the Ames Police account alone. The public was also able to comment on the post with questions and the police were able to quickly respond with answers and new information. The department also continued to update with new statuses as the search continued, keeping the public in the loop throughout the process.

The main reason that the Ames and ISU police social media accounts are finding success is because of their consistency. The managers of these accounts use them often and take the time to answer followers’ questions, even if some of the questions require a little humor in the response. It can be risky to interact with people, as saying the wrong thing can be just as quickly shared; if done right, however, it makes for a much more informed public.

Having this type of interaction with the community is truly the best aspect of organizations such as police departments embracing new digital platforms. Glancing through the tweets on each department’s Twitter feed shows that community members are taking full advantage of the opportunity to ask questions concerning everything from fines for tinted windows to whether classes have been canceled. 

In the past, such questions would have either gone unanswered or had to take the time of calling the departments and taking an officer’s time to answer the questions. Not only that, but when someone asks on social media, the answer can be seen by everyone, which works to further spread the information to a wider range of people.

Organizations that have not taken advantage of the new opportunities that community interaction on social media can offer should take a note from our local police. At the same time, community members who have yet to follow these accounts should do so as a way to become more informed on safety within Ames. 

The open dialogue between police and the community should be commended. In the quickly changing landscape of social media, it’s exciting to see two organizations within the Ames community leading the charge on continued access and communication with the people they serve. In the long run, it can only lead to a safer community overall.