Boston Police Expand BPDNews.com Into “Virtual Community”
Boston Police Crusier With BPDNews.com LogoBPDNews.com has been expanded to incorporate the full menu of police tools open to the community. The new features include:
* Crimereports.com – This crime-mapping tool allows community members to visit a user-friendly website and quickly access public safety information specific to the selected neighborhood. (Note: Click the “Crime” option on the menu at the top of this page to see this tool relevant to the North End/Waterfront.)
* Citizenobserver – This community e-alert system allows residents
to sign up to receive texts and emails from their local district
on important public safety information and alerts distributed by
their district Community Service Officer.
* Neighbors for Neighbors.com – This is a local neighborhood-based
social networking site for people to connect and organize around
common interests. NorthEndWaterfront.com has a group on this site which you can join here.
* Twitter – The BPD is one of the first police departments in the
country to make use of the latest social media sensation, Twitter.
Here community members can sign up to receive frequent tweets on
important public safety information ranging from road closures to
motor vehicle accidents and much more.
* Text-A-Tip – The Boston Police is the first police department in
the country to utilize text messaging to allow community members
to send information anonymously to our CrimeStoppers Unit.
* Call The Cops – This is the department’s weekly cable show where
we strive to use that time to offer community members safety tips
and a recap of weekly events. We also try to use this opportunity
to personalize a specific unit within the department for people at
home. In other words, we might do a “Meet the Harbor Patrol”
segment or something on a K-9 officer – what it takes and how you
become one, etc.
The new BPDNews is our effort to bring all of these groundbreaking Virtual Community initiatives together in one place. In the days and months ahead you will see changes to the site that will reflect our commitment to using technology to inform the citizens of Boston, to enhance communication at the District and neighborhood level and to extend our efforts to use new technology to promote and implement our mission of community policing.
*BPDNews.com– The Boston Police Department’s Virtual Community*
