19th Ward Crime Alert on Facebook

We are trialing a new crime alert feature. Many of us check Facebook more often then we check our email or favorite websites. So we are trying to use the power of social networking to help prevent and stop crime in the neighborhood. The idea is simple join the 19th Ward Crime Alert group on Facebook. If you see something happen, after calling the police log on to Facebook and post what happened, if it allows you to, send a message to the Group. Because many of your neighbors are on Facebook all the time, they will know instantly about what is going on.

The Group is not a discussion Group, we have the Yahoo Group and Location 19 for that. Its purpose is only to serve as a first alert system for neighborhood crime. While some of us older folk, may wonder if this will work, many of our younger neighbors, will often post about an event, before they actually call the police.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on October 25, 2010 at 11:23pm

Dan,
A good thought and may be worth trying. I limit my places I check for information so it takes less time, so am not involved with Facebook. And hopefully never will be! Yes, I am an older folk, so let it work for the younger, if you want to try.

From a communications standpoint, though, it is best to have one place to go to to find information on the neighborhood. In my opinion, that would be Location19, since it already has about 230 subscribers. My belief is to concentrate all there, and build upon the base we have, as we get more people involved. There is also the Twitter option on L19, for highlighting fast-breaking info. I have no problem with the Yahoo group, as it serves a separate purpose, to communicate items of interest mainly about the 19th Ward Community Association.

Personally, I check Location19 each day, right after e-mail, and that is all I need to do to keep up to date. There is also an e-mail service that can mail you each day what crimes have been reported in your neighborhood, at http://www.spotcrime.com/ny/rochester/19th+ward. If anyone witnesses a crime, call 911.

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Permalink Reply by Dan DeMarle on October 26, 2010 at 5:44am

Mark
I agree that Location 19 and the Yahoo Group should be the main sources for discussion and communication. I also have mixed feelings about Facebook, but since my kids are on it, I am on it.
The difference between the above groups and the 19th Ward Crime Alert group on Facebooks, it that the Facebook group provides much earlier notification of problems allowing neighbors to intercede as things are happening, or shortly after they happen. Many of our neighbors 'live' on Facebook. So if someone posts that there is a suspicious looking vehicle on the Street, they will know instantly and can go look out their window, go on their front porch, or post - it's OK its my cousin visiting from Omaha.

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Permalink Reply by Mark Sweetland on October 26, 2010 at 2:27pm

Dan,
I was unaware of the instant features of Facebook. Now it makes more sense to me. Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Margy Meath on October 26, 2010 at 11:03pm

this is a good idea Dan.
We also talked quite a while ago about using "Twitter" in a similar way - i.e. to get information out to people quickly. I don't think that ever materialized in the way that folks thought it would/could but getting information about crime out quickly can definitely be helpful!