After Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace, social networking has become one of the central functions of the Internet. What started out as a public forum for journal entries and chatting with friends has become an unlimited medium for publicizing thoughts of celebrities, plans of politicians … even updates on crime.

Police departments across the nation are beginning to dabble in blogs and social networking, seeing it as a way to further engage the communities they protect. The police are not using the Internet to find online buddies, of course, but rather as a quick and accessible tool to inform citizens of crime alerts.

Police blogs, newsletters and online forums provide an expedient and casual connection between the public and the men in uniform. They’re not yet a substitute for television news flashes when breaking stories hit, since they lack the mass audience. But with time, social media outreach by the cop shop may provide an alternative news outlet for close followers—akin to old-time monitoring of the police scanner.

In fact, some police districts already send reports to online subscribers, giving locals instantaneous crime updates in their inboxes. The city of Madison, Wis., has one such website; it features a newsletter, allows viewers to submit tips, and has links to their Facebook and Twitter presence, where they share police incident reports.

Not only can citizens stay current on crime, but casual online environments also enable locals to report concerns while entering into friendly dialogue with the police.

The Boston metropolitan police department received waves of positive coverage earlier this year for an amusing exchange on Twitter.  After the police posted that an officer had received a "human bite to arm," one follower replied asking if it was a zombie bite, would they say so? Not missing a beat, the police reply came back, "Yes, absolutely."

Twitter and Facebook have been employed by the Boston police for an innovative program to combat bicycle thefts too. Citizens, bike shops, and police participate in the Stolen Bikes Boston Community Alert, notifying one another of bikes gone missing, bikes found and other suspicious activity. The Boston Police Twitter page is here.   

Madison’s website capitalizes on this increased contact with the public to foster support for certain programs. One incident report details that a suspect was willing to give up if the K-9 did not bite him, and that “this was another good example of how important the canine program has been to law enforcement.” (Zombies were suspected here too.)

Whether the police sites help inform the public and assist in the capture of criminals, or merely allow tax payers to see their money at work, the web outreach represents the next wave of government transparency and swift information.

The real test of the police social networking outreach is whether, after being pulled over for speeding, your claim of “But I’m your buddy on Facebook!” will get you out of a ticket.