Describe some ways in which community policing is more easily facilitated today with the use of technology. In a minimum 200 word response, outline some methods that police departments use in order to open the lines of communication with the public. Provide and describe some examples of these methods that are possibly being used in your community.

In today’s world of social media and internet, community policing has become much easier. Twenty years ago it was much harder for departments to execute community policing. Now all the departments are using the social media like Facebook and Twitter to help engage the community in mass numbers. According to Dempsey and Forst (2011) community policing is a philosophy for police departments and the community to come together to solve problems. Before there was internet and social media, police would have to go door to door to engage the community and that could take hours just to engage a handful of people.
In my community police are doing everything they can to keep the whole community informed on anything that can be useful from traffic to suspicious activity. Over the last couple years the police department and city have come together and created a city hall website. On the website you can do anything from file reports and see public documents on local criminals still living within the community. The police department also has a Facebook and Twitter account that is maintained and updated regularly. On the police departments Facebook and Twitter they post recent crimes and pictures of criminals that they are trying to arrest who have committed crimes and are dodging warrants.
References:
Dempsey, J. S. & Forst, L. S. (2011) Police. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, Cengage