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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Huckleberries Online

Using Social Media To Solve Crime

Citizens and law enforcement officers are turning more and more to social media in order to track down criminals. On Monday morning Meagan Pattis, 27, left her Jeep Cherokee Sport, affectionately named "Wilma," running in the driveway of her Coeur d'Alene home. Just minutes after she walked back into her residence, she heard the engine of her vehicle revving. By the time she got outside, the car was gone. "I contacted the police and then went to work," Pattis said. "When I got to work I decided to send out a Facebook post with a picture of the car so people would be on the lookout. My roommate did the same thing." It wasn't long before the Facebook post turned up a lead on the missing vehicle. One of her roommate's friends called and said a vehicle with matching plates had parked in the driveway of his Hauser home/Keith Cousins, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: How does the social media keep you aware of possible criminal activity in your neighborhood?



D.F. Oliveria
D.F. (Dave) Oliveria joined The Spokesman-Review in 1984. He currently is a columnist and compiles the Huckleberries Online blog and writes about North Idaho in his Huckleberries column.

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