THUNDER BAY – If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be a police officer in the city on a busy weekend evening, strap into their social media feeds on Friday night and book yourself a virtual ride-along.
Thunder Bay Police Service will be sending its newly hired social media co-ordinator to the streets – on St. Patrick’s Day nonetheless – where he has been tasked to tweet what he sees and then filter that information and more through the department’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
TBPS director of communications and technology Chris Adams said the Tweet-along is a great way for police to connect with the community.
“We think it’s going to be two things,” Adams said. “First of all, it’s a lot of fun. And certainly it’s a great way for people to have some insight as to what it’s like to be on patrol with Thunder Bay Police.”
Adams said the department has had good success in the past with its social media platforms and this new step takes things to a different level.
While social media does have its downsides, there are plenty of benefits, Adams said.
“We really think this is a good way to test the waters as far as being live and responsive. We’re going to try it out, see how it goes and we think the public is quite interested in what a Friday night in Thunder Bay is like,” he said.
Adams said pretty much anything is a go as far as content, with some restrictions.
The department will protect personal privacy, including names of people involved in incidents, and won’t be publishing details that could be vital to investigations.
The social media co-ordinator, Scott Paradis, will also try to interact with the public during the Tweet-along, answering questions on Twitter while keeping an eye on any ongoing Facebook conversations.
“Things are likely to get busy during the Tweet Along, so if we can’t answer all your questions during that night, we will do our very best to get back to you afterward,” Adams said.
“We’ll also be archiving the entire night via Storify, which we will hare through all our social media platforms at a later date.”
To follow the TBPS social media feeds, visit the following links:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/tbpsmedia
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thunderbaypolice
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thunderbaypoliceservice
