Policing and social media: A mixed-method investigation of social media use by a small-town police department

Abstract

In recent times, police departments across all social contexts have undergone tremendous changes, and a major catalyst of these changes has been the emergence of social media. This technological innovation has provided departments with a platform to communicate effectively and share information with the public. Social media have impacted policing and transformed the way the police do their job. The current analysis focused on understanding social media usage by small college-town police departments. Twitter and interview data were collected from the Oxford Police Department and were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively to achieve the study’s objective. Results of these analyses revealed six main types of information that the department shared with the public on Twitter. Recommendations for improving the police’s use of social media are offered.