America’s cops take an interest in social media

SHOULD THE police monitor social media? The question seems to have an obvious answer. Social media, says Joe Giacalone, a retired New York Police Department detective who now teaches at John Jay College, is “a treasure trove for investigators. People post stuff they shouldn’t…vehicles, weapons, you name it. If you’re dumb enough to post something on social media and you’re wanted for a crime, you deserve to get caught.” In this sense, social media is no different from any other public space. If criminals brag about or plot their exploits publicly online, police should be able to use that information without obtaining a warrant, just as if they overheard chatter in a bar or on a street corner.