1) According to a 2013 survey, over 95% of law enforcement agencies are using social media, with Twitter and Facebook being the most popular platforms. 2) The Boston Police Department's tweet announcing the capture of the Boston Marathon bombing suspect was the most retweeted law enforcement tweet of the year. 3) Following the Boston Marathon bombings, the Boston Police Department saw large increases in social media followers and likes as they used Twitter to communicate with the public during the crisis.

1. LAW ENFORCEMENT &
SOCIAL MEDIA 2013
A Year in Review
If there was any remaining doubt about the importance of law
enforcement agencies being on social media, 2013 proved the critical
nature of being active on key platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
Virtually Every Agency is Using Social Media
95.9%
57.1%
1
of agencies are
using social media
in some capacity
of agencies not currently using social
media are considering its adoption
Top Social Networks Used by Law Enforcement 2
92.1%
64.8%
42.9%
Most Popular
Content on Law
Enforcement
Channels 3
Law Enforcement Tweet of the Year
Boston Police Dept.
@bostonpolice
CAPTURED!!! The hunt is over. The search
is done. The terror is over. And justice has
won. Suspect in custody.
138,533
RETWEETS
• Surveillance videos/
crime-in-action
• K9 Content
• Events
• Promotional
46,830
• Tweetalongs
RETWEETS
Following the Boston Crisis
300k
Boston Police Department
4
Social Media Stats
545% increase
in follows
80k
55k
533% increase
in likes
15k
Top Learnings
Twitter became the go-to
platform for communicating
with the public
Everyone needs to know what the
message is and who’s responsible
for delivering it and its updates
It’s critical to have a preexisting infrastructure for
crisis management
Ongoing internal communication
is just as vital as external
communication
Top Law Enforcement Use of Social Media 5
4 out of 5 Departments Use Social Media For
A Criminal Investigations
B Notifying public of crime
problems
C Community outreach/
engagement
E Providing emergency or
disaster-related information
F Crime prevention activities
G Soliciting tips on crime
D PR/reputation management
Connecting those who serve.
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Sources
1. http://www.iacpsocialmedia.org/Portals/1/documents/2013SurveyResults.pdf
2. http://www.iacpsocialmedia.org/Portals/1/documents/2013SurveyResults.pdf
3. BlueLine/Mash+Studio research
4. http://blog.iacpsocialmedia.org/Home/tabid/142/entryid/318/Default.aspx
5. IACP: http://www.iacpsocialmedia.org/Portals/1/documents/2013SurveyResults.pdf | LexisNexis: http://www.lexisnexis.com/government/investigations/
6. (@BocaChief) http://blog.iacpsocialmedia.org/Home/tabid/142/entryid/319/Default.aspx