Now you can follow the police
By ROBERT LINNEHAN
The Cherry Hill Sun
8/29/2010

While checking friends’ status updates, Cherry Hill residents can now swing over to the police department’s official Facebook page and see crime and safety updates in their neighborhoods.

The Cherry Hill Police Department launched its own Facebook page last week in an effort to increase communication and provide updates to Cherry Hill residents on an up-to-the minute basis.

“We’re doing this to meet the needs of getting information out in a timely manner to our residents. It seems like social media is here to stay so we want to take advantage,” Officer William Kushina said. “People can sign up for alerts, and they can be immediately notified of something that impacts them, their home, and their neighborhood. It gives us a way to get timely information out to the Cherry Hill public.”

The free Facebook page will serve the purpose that Nixle does for several communities in the state. Nixle allows residents to receive up-to-the-minute information where one lives, works or visits. Registered residents receive real-time information from the township via the Nixle system.

Kushina said the township was not interested in utilizing Nixle.

Mayor Bernie Platt said the Facebook page would help keep residents informed about up-to-date crime and safety issues in Cherry Hill.

“Communicating with residents and alerting them to what they need to know in a timely manner is a prime function of the township government here in Cherry Hill,” he said. “In the last year, we’ve added several avenues of constituent outreach to our roster, including the social-networking Web sites Facebook and Twitter to better meet these needs.”

Officers will be able to post open cases and pictures of criminals on the page for residents to view. As of last week, there were several surveillance camera pictures of an alleged car thief and two magazine subscription scammers that were in Cherry Hill several weeks ago. By getting their faces out to the public, Kushina said residents will be able to identify and call police if they’re seen again.

However, Kushina said the department would have to be cautious about what it posts on its page.

The Evesham Police Department recently started a Facebook page similar to Cherry Hill’s and posted the names of drivers who had been arrested for DUI within the township. The department faced heavy criticism for its decision to do so and has recently withdrawn all of the names it posted.

It’s also a useful tool for letting residents know what is happening in their particular neighborhood in Cherry Hill, Kushina said. Many residents believe nothing happens in the township, he said, and this will let people know about possible crime threats in their part of the community.

“We want to give people a flavor of what goes on in a neighborhood. Many people think nothing goes on in Cherry Hill, but actually a lot does,” Kushina said. “We’re always cautious to see how social media programs play out. But this is a no-cost way to get information out to the public. Police officers in Evesham have solved a few crimes through it. Hopefully this will put out some more eyes and ears out onto the streets for us.”