Providence Police Stop Tweeting About Crime - Now It Is Plastic Bags

Providence Police Stop Tweeting About Crime - Now It Is Plastic Bags

The Providence Police had been recently keeping the public informed about public safety issues, but that has stopped.

The use of Twitter to inform the public about all crime issues lasted until the end of August — then the Department shifted strategy.

Now, Providence Police has stopped using social media to inform the public about potential dangers and crime. 

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This weekend Providence was hit by a number of crimes. Two teenage women were shot -- one died and the other seriously wounded. The Providence Police did not use social media to inform Providence residents about the double shooting.

The change in social media strategy coincides with a series of high profile murders and club-related violence in August. It appears the Department has shifted to an all "good news" strategy.

Comparing Departments

In contrast, in Boston, the Police Department uses its Twitter feed as a constant communication tool to keep city resident informed about crimes, arrest, dangers and community events. Boston has won wide respect for its use of social media. The Department has tweeted more than 534,000 Twitter followers. Boston Police have tweeted more than 17,000 times.

In Providence, the Department has tweeted less than 1,600 times and has just over 4,200 Twitter followers. Worcester, Massachusetts police page has over 46,000 followers. 

Since the end of August, when the Department’s Twitter feed was updating followers on crimes, it has transformed from a communications tool to primarily an apparatus for retweets of Mayor Jorge Elorza’s social media, and non-police issues -- like the impending plastic bag ban.

The plastic ban is slated to go into effect on October 22. The Police have no role in the enforcement of the ordinance.

After Elorza’s office of sustainability tweeted a video of the new plastic bag ordinance and Providence Police retweeted it, the video had only been viewed 37 times.

A GoLocal investigation in 2017 found that the Providence Police Department may be one of the least transparent of any police department of its size in the Northeast. It lags far behind its peer departments and has created endless barriers for members of the public to gain access to the most basic information.

In today's modern era of community policing, proactive communication is a key component to identifying crime spots, engaging the public’s involvement, and improving the relationship between the police and diverse communities, but not in Providence, where crime reports and police work are conducted in secret providing little public information. The Department’s leadership often refuse to answer press inquiries. 

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Strong relationships of mutual trust between police agencies and the communities they serve are critical to maintaining public safety and effective policing. Police officials rely on the cooperation of community members to provide information about crime in their neighborhoods, and to work with the police to devise solutions to crime and disorder problems."

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