Social Media Helps Solve Crimes

By Ned Smith, BusinessNewsDaily senior writer

Social Media Helps Solve Crimes

July 19, 2012 Updated Jul 19, 2012 at 10:32 AM PDT

It's not just prospective customers, partners or employers who may be scanning the social media landscape to glean information about you and your organization. The long arm of the law has joined the party as well, a new survey shows. So if you happen to have criminal intent, this might be a good time to lay low and forgo trolling for "Likes" on Facebook.

A survey of more than 1,200 law enforcement professionals at every level law enforcement professionals at every level, including federal agencies, found that four out of five use various social media platforms to assist in investigations based in rural localities as well as major metropolitan areas. The survey was conducted by LexisNexis Risk Solutions, an information provider.

Agencies serving smaller populations and with 50 or fewer sworn personnel use social media more, and state agencies tend to use it less (71%) than local (82%) and federal (81%) agencies, the survey found.

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