Putting Twitter to the test
The timely and effective use of social media in the hours and days following the Boston Marathon bombings may serve as a model for other law enforcement agencies in the United States, according to a report published as part of the New Perspectives in Policing Series by the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS). The new report, “Social Media and Police Leadership: Lessons from Boston,” spotlights the ways in which the Boston Police Department (BPD) successfully leveraged its social media platform throughout the investigation to keep the community informed and engaged. The report is co-authored by former Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who is currently a visiting fellow at the Institute of Politics at HKS. “The Boston Police Department has long embraced both community policing and the use of social media,” the report begins. “The department put its experience to good and highly visible use in...