Engaging Within & Beyond Arcadia through Social Media

Taking advantage of Social Media has allowed the Arcadia Police Department to reach out and engage with people and organizations that we would probably have never met or interacted with in times past.  I thought it would be interesting to share a couple of those connections that we have made and interact with via Social Media:

Lauri Stevens is the owner and founder of ConnectedCOPs.net and LAwS Communications.  Lauri is a huge supporter of Law Enforcement use of Social Media and promotes its use daily.  "The vision behind ConnectedCOPS is to enhance law officers’ ability to succeed with social media tools by providing insight, encouragement, education and the overall support required. It is also to promote the insightful thoughts of the law enforcement social media visionaries by providing them a voice..."  Lauri Stevens has been a mentor and friend to the Arcadia Police Department, and without her assistance, our Social Media presence would be minimal.  Lauri has authored numerous articles for Law Enforcement publications nationwide and also produces the Social Media, the Internet, and Law Enforcement Conference (SMILE) series that attracts an international audience of Law Enforcement professionals from all over the world.  You can find Lauri on Twitter @lawscomm and on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/LAwSComm.

A blog devoted primarily to "cold case" investigations reached out and engaged with the Arcadia Police Department, highlighting the unsolved 2007 Jason Wei murder case in March of this year.  Defrosting Cold Cases (DCC) is the name of this blog, developed and managed by an east coast lawyer who is known as @Vidocq_CC on Twitter.  "My work got me in touch with many police departments and those collaborations resulted in this website. I have yet to find a police department that is not underfunded, not understaffed, or not overworked. Often, I heard officers say that they wished that they had time to build a website for their cold cases..."  APD teamed up with the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, gathering a $20,000 reward in this case which was promoted through conventional media.  Having a web presence like DCC highlight the case only multiplies our efforts to bring awareness to the Wei case.  One of DCC's current cases involves the unsolved killing of a Champaign, IL, Police Officer Robert Tatman, who was murdered in 1967.


We continue to explore and update the manner in which we use Social Media within the Arcadia Police Department.  We have established a new rapport with local residents, local businesses, and beyond through our presence on the likes of Twitter, Facebook, and our Blog.  The sharing and exchange of information is fast and amplified through these platforms and our participation allows us to listen and communicate with voices and people that otherwise may never interact with their Police Department.  The Arcadia Police Department looks forward to continuing to develop our Social Media presence and methods, engaging locally and beyond.