Facebook, the new police tool

The social media police: Facebook has potential as a law enforcement tool : The Kentucky Kernel

Facebook — it’s a great tool to keep in touch with friends and family. It’s useful for employers to profile prospective employees.

And now, it’s become a great tool for police departments and prosecuting attorneys.

“It’s the 21st-century version of a private investigator following you,” said Trevor Wells, an attorney with Lexington’s Miller Wells.

Wells explained that while conducting research about the use of social networking sites in court cases for a continuing legal education seminar for the bar, he found that “every couple of months the number doubled with the cases involving Facebook.”

While larger police departments and law firms use Facebook and other social networking sites to find evidence for domestic relations, gang-related, and personal injury cases, smaller PDs use the networks less aggressively.