The Tweet is Mightier Than the SWAT

May 23, 2016 — cops, SWAT, TPD, Tucson, twitter

TPD SWATTER Salisbury

I want to convince the commander of my local police station to learn more about the progressive use of social media. Controversy and conflict spread like wildfire on all platforms today.  This is a reflection of our relationships in real life.  It is easy to get into a political argument but not so easy to locate community spirit.  We drastically need dialog and understanding to build better neighborhoods.  The tension between police and citizens must be treated. Lack of trust must be brought to light and replaced with understanding.  We need better communication, and I believe it can be achieved with judicious use of social media.  I believe twitter has the power to prevent crime if used with imagination and good strategy, just as it has influenced some to fight for ISIS.  The only way to stop an evil force with a twitter account is with a loving force with a twitter account.

In the photo above a young detective is joking around with SWAT Officer Salisbury, who was working showing off the SWAT stuff at the station the other day.  I had just asked him what he detected about Officer Salisbury.  He was telling me he that his colleague is very speedy. Their camaraderie is evident and the good nature of the joking between them was fun to see.  These young men are charming and professional, but I certainly hope I will not require their services. It is fine to hang out in the parking lot, but I don’t want them to come to my house in the middle of the night.

It was all fun and games until I said, “I know you saw the PBS special last week about SWAT.”  They didn’t really say much, but they indicated that this PBS reference had bummed them out.  I don’t blame them because it is another blow to the already ragged respect for police across the country.  News coverage brings scary evidence that violence is escalating in certain cities.  Tucson is one of them.  These young cops face ever-growing danger with no hope of a pay raise in sight.  For them, as well as for all of us, we need to find ways to communicate to prevent crime of all kinds, particularly crimes against cops.  We will find ourselves unable to recruit people who are willing to take the job if we don’t kick in and help them reduce crime and violence.

I believe social media has the potential to transform crime prevention because

• A picture is worth a thousand words
• A penny saved is a penny earned
• An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
• A stitch in time saves nine
• The tweet is mightier than the SWAT

What do you think, gentle reader, is the answer to the social disorder we are experiencing today?

SWATTER Stoner