THUNDER BAY -- The Thunder Bay Police Service has officially launched a Snapchat account in an attempt to expand its social-media presence.
Police already have official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts, but are looking to appeal to a younger demographic with Snapchat.
Director of communication and technology Chris Adams says Snapchat will help with the distribution of police-oriented messages to much younger group of people.
“It’s definitely one of these fast-growing platforms, and we think, especially with our school resource officers, it will help us.”
Adams says that the platform will initially be used for officers who visit schools the pictures utilized to tell the story of their interactions with students.
“Initially, we’re just trying to break that barrier down and tell a very simple story that our officers are human…That they go into the schools and build relationships with the students.”
Adams says that down the line they plan to use the medium as a way of notifying their following on more important subject matter.
‘I think in time there’s a great opportunity to do more with it, and that could be along the lines of sending out very specific messages of areas of concern … or areas we think the younger demographic needs to know in order to protect themselves.”
Overall, the new medium is another way Thunder Bay police can use to try to overcome obstacles and interact with as many people as possible.
“In every age group, people want to know what’s happening … Policing sometimes can appear to be authoritarian and distant, but we can break that barrier down," Adams said.
