Social media humanizes police, informs people, local departments say - MetroWest Daily News

Standing soaking wet, in full uniform, during a visit with local kids at a neighborhood splash pad, Framingham Police Chief Lester Baker is captured in a funny photo that's posted on Facebook.

A security video shows a burglary suspect that Marlborough police are on the lookout for, and they want the public's help, so they upload it to their social media channels.

And in Natick, a large tree is blocking the main entrance to the hospital, so police post to Facebook about a detour and a warning about downed wires.

These are just a few ways police departments are using social media, typically Facebook and Twitter, to communicate with people in their communities in many ways and for many reasons.

“For us to get a message out (that) we want to relay, Facebook and Twitter seem to be the strongest sources for us to get our message out,” said Natick police spokeswoman Lt. Cara Rossi. “This is the day and age of instantaneous news. It’s really effective for public relations. It’s also effective if we had a crime scene. We had a barricaded suspect with possibly a firearm recently and we had to shut down a pretty major roadway. We put that social media and it worked pretty effectively.”

The Westborough Police Department tries to use its Facebook page as an extension of community policing, mostly posting positive posts and photos, Lt. Chet Hallice said.

Every Monday, they make a “Motivational Monday,” post. If someone comes in and makes a donation to the department — such as dinner...



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