By RICHARD VIRGILIO
Ever wonder what it is like to be an area police officer? On Wed., Nov. 26 the Ocean Township Police Department will offer an unprecedented look at a day in the life of an officer thanks to the area’s first-ever law enforcement Tweetalong.
“We are committed to giving our community the best service possible and our social media communications program is a part of that,” said Chief Steven Peters. “This, our first Tweetalong, will help educate the community about what we do every day.”
For eight hours Wednesday, Social Media Officer Lieutenant Timothy Torchia will shadow Officer Phil Jackson, a five year veteran of the department. Torchia will chronicle in real time on Twitter, in 140 characters or less with images, one of the most busy traffic days of the year for the department.
“This will be a virtual ride-along and communicate everything from the mundane to the serious over the course of a police shift,” said Torchia. “From the initial inspection of the vehicle to calls for service to ultimately dealing with the kickoff of the holiday season, the Tweetalong will show what we do and how we do it.”
Followers of @OceanTwpPolice will also have the opportunity to tweet general questions about the department and its work. (Follow the OTPD on Twitter by clicking here.)
This Tweetalong, the first of its kind for Monmouth County law enforcement, is one component of Chief Peters’ “modern community policing” strategy. The department implemented its social media communications program last year on Twitter and continues to expand to new platforms, including Facebook.
Since the social media program’s inception, followers have helped the department identify and locate multiple criminals thanks to digital wanted posters. Generally, followers of @OceanTwpPolice receive traffic updates, public works information, community updates and much more. Some of the most popular Tweets include real time images of road conditions during extreme weather. The department’s Twitter feed is considered the most comprehensive and immediate resource for residents.
“The response to the department’s social media program has been phenomenal – we are reaching all generations of our community through Twitter,” said Chief Peters. “We are dedicated to serving as a leader in the implementation of technology and social media for community outreach and policing.”
Follow the Tweetalong on Wednesday (Nov. 26) from your computer or smartphone at Twitter.com/OceanTwpPolice and by using the hashtag “twtOTPD.” Twitter is free and reading tweets requires no registration. Tweets from this event will be stacked on the @OceanTwpPolice feed and available for review after the live event as well.
