Philly Cops Bust Crime In 140 Characters Or Fewer

The Philadelphia Police Department is adding a new tool to its crime-fighting arsenal — Twitter. Supporters say the real-time information-sharing could help police build a stronger rapport with residents and better protect them.

West Philadelphia resident Mike Van Helder remembers when police knocked down his neighbor's door at 6 a.m. "There was shouting and loud noises and of course I didn't know what it was about," Van Helder recalls. "And them being my next door neighbors, I was understandably concerned." So Van Helder tweeted Detective Joseph Murray for more information. "He couldn't get back to me immediately, but early the next day, he let me know that it was the Major Crimes Unit serving a warrant on the next-door neighbors," Van Helder says. Murray had started tweeting on his own, before the department launched its tweeting initiative. And he didn't just tell residents about past crimes. He says he also tried to be proactive. "I didn't want people in the area that I police to not know what's going on," Murray says. "I felt I had a responsibility to the people that I'm paid to protect to let them know about burglary patterns, robbery patterns in their area so they don't walk right into the middle of one." A few months ago the department asked Murray to stop, temporarily, so he could learn about the its social media policy and training.