Dealing with rowdy parties and drunk people is a typical part of a Port Moody police officer's Saturday night shift, but thanks to social media the public can now follow along.
Sgt. Brad Sheridan held a "Tweet-along" last weekend, posting updates throughout the evening over Twitter to let people know the kinds of things police routinely deal with.
The result can be seen at twitter.com/portmoodypd and gives members of the public a glimpse into the everyday-world of a police officer.
"We try to do it as often as we can," said Port Moody Const. Luke van Winkel. "We get call from people, everything from high school kids to local college kids who really seem to enjoy it."
Many police departments interact with the community through social media and Twitter is a useful way of spreading information to the public, he added. Coquitlam RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Jamie Chung, for example, is a routine Twitter user (twitter.com/rcmpjchung) and the Vancouver Police Department has a feed of their own (twitter.com/vancouverpd).
But running a police department Twitter feed is for more than just entertainment, van Winkel said.
When the public sees over social media what calls police are attending they do not need to phone the department requesting information about a given incident in their neighbourhood.
"It is a quick means of getting information out there," he said. "The public gets that tidbit that is keeping them up to speed and they may not need to flood phone lines in the case of a major event."
Van Winkel said he expects Sheridan will conduct more Tweet-alongs in the future and encouraged Port Moody residents to follow along.
MOTORCYCLE IMPOUNDED
A driver of a motorcycle caught driving at speeds upwards of 150 km per hour has received an excessive speeding ticket and has had his vehicle impounded.
RCMP's Air One first spotted the vehicle going over the Iron Worker's Memorial bridge. The helicopter followed the motorcycle along Hastings Street and the Barnet Highway until the driver was pulled over by Port Moody police on St. Johns Street.
