Social media provides a platform for people within communities to keep each other informed. Nextdoor, a popular application used in the city, is a common place to warn neighbors of crime and suspicious activity. However, these same warnings on social media apps do not always make it to Lubbock Police.
“We have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor. Those are the main ones we use. What we see a lot of times is people will actually try to report emergencies or crimes that are going on at the moment to those social media platforms,” said Tiffany Taylor, public information officer for the Lubbock Police Department.
Situations where people post crimes on social media may be dangerous, she said, because police do not monitor social media every hour of the day. They only can see what is directly sent to them on the Nextdoor app.
“We cannot see the conversations or posts that are going on in the individual neighborhood. The only times we can see as a police department on Nextdoor is if someone privately messages us the post,” or if someone replies to one of their postings, she said.
Lubbock Police did not discourage the use of social media in neighborhoods because it keeps neighborhoods informed, but they want to receive the information first.
“If you see something suspicious, call us first and then feel free to post it. They really need to let us know, so we are not playing catch-up,” said Taylor.
Grant Gerlich, president of the Tech Terrace Unit Association, saw this issue multiple times in his neighborhood.
“Most of the time it’s just suspicious people. They will share with neighbors and not call with police,” Gerlich said.
He noted the main reason for not reporting was because people may not know if it was worth reporting.
“Some people do not call the police because they do not want to bother them,” he said.
If a community member feels unsure about reporting suspicious activity, police said to report it.
“Tell someone, whether it’s a 911 call to dispatch, to our non-emergency number, or to an officer here at our front desk,” Taylor said.
The non-emergency number for Lubbock Police Department is 806-755-2865.
