Bloomington Police use social media to solve crimes, interact with community

Posted on May 25, 2015
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Bloomington Police started using Facebook in Jan. 2014

By Joe Ragusa

BLOOMINGTON – Bloomington Police are using social media in a variety of ways.

Bloomington Police Spokesperson Sarah Mayer said a few crimes have been solved with the help of people who follow the department on Facebook, including a crime on April 14.

“Someone from another state actually viewed our social media and was able to identify two subjects in an armed robbery,” Mayer said.

Mayer said the department also uses its Facebook page to show positive interactions the department has with the public and even show a little humor.

“We actually had a citizen share a picture with us of officers playing Ultimate Frisbee at (Miller) Park with some participants from S.O.A.R – Special Opportunities Available in Recreation,” Mayer said. “I didn’t even know about it, and so it was awesome. We now have citizens showing positive interactions with our community and people really enjoy that.”

The Bloomington Police Department started using Facebook in Jan. 2014 and Mayer admits the department arrived late to the party. The page currently has more than 6,000 likes.

BPD Facebook page hyperlink: Here

Joe Ragusa can be reached at [email protected].

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