Law enforcement is using Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms to help solve crime cases. Authorities can now take out a warrant to gain access to people’s private information on their social media pages. Police officers are gathering information during their investigations from their phones and computers, quickly knowing all the personal information of their suspects. Social Media Used in Solving Crimes is gathering steam and making it easier for law enforcement to gather the information needed for their case.

Social Media Used In Solving Crimes; Specific Cases 

One case where social media was used to solve a crime was in 2008 in the city of Cincinnati, police arrested 71 people related to street gang violence. Social media helped to identify their key members through comments and photos that were linked to their Facebook pages. The police involved in this case took their phone records and social networks and took all the information they gained from them and made links between the suspects. To read more on this case visit CNN article, ‘Police Embrace Social Media as Crime Fighting Tool’.

Another astonishing case where social media was used to solve a crime was in Utica New York, where a violent fight broke out in a club called “Club Toxic” that left four people seriously injured. The police respondents came up to the scene with little information of how this happened and who all was involved. However a YouTube video surfaced of the entire assault and police officials were able to put together the pieces of the crime. This case can be read further on NBC-WKTV’s site on article, ‘Social Media Rapidly Transforming How Police Solve Crimes’.

One of the most well-known police case involving social media was at Fruitvale Station involving the shooting of Oscar Grant III. This story was made into a movie in 2013. On Jan. 1, 2009 Oscar Grant III was shot in his back by a police officer. Oscar was unarmed and on the ground when he was shot out of nowhere. The people nearby on the train caught this all on video and posted these videos on social media including YouTube. The police department couldn’t change the story around to help out their fellow police officer because the video had gone viral and social media helped to show the truth to what happened at Fruitvale Station. A article on the movie and the real story of Oscar Grant III can be found on New York Times site on the article, ‘A New Year, and a Last Day Alive’.

Social media used in solving crimes is now used everyday by law enforcement. People need to learn to be careful with what information they share on social media because everything is accessible. Facebook is almost always used to gather information on someone today. Thanks to social media, crimes are being solved faster and more accurately.