Also see: The Boston Globe is All aTwitter!
I Don't Trust Twitter
Add another reason for suspicion, readers:
"Police to alert public with Twitter dispatches" by Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff | March 12, 2009
A crime-blotter blog. E-mail alerts. Anonymous tips via text message.
Now comes the next high-tech weapon for the Boston Police Department: A sergeant in the emergency dispatch center has been experimenting with Twitter, the micro-blogging tool that facilitates group conversations in 140-character bulletins to subscribers via computers and cellphones.
One goal is to interact in real time with the public during festivals and large-scale events about bottlenecks, closed roads, and crowd-related problems. For example, officers could warn their Twitter followers about an intersection to avoid because of an accident. A member of the public could respond, in a few keystrokes, that the suggested detour is also bumper to bumper, warning other users to try another route.
The first significant trial will come Sunday when thousands of revelers inundate South Boston for the St. Patrick's Day parade.
Let's hope no one is KILLED this time, huh?
Related: The Boston Globe's Good Cop
The Boston Globe's Bad Cop
"Primarily we are going to send out information, with no expectations" that the public will respond with feedback, said Deputy Superintendent John Daley. "The idea is to just get a sense of whether or not it has value."
The department warns that the short messages, called "tweets," are no substitute for a 911 call during an emergency. Parade goers who encounter a problem can flag down a uniformed officer, who should be more prevalent because police are beefing up patrols to crack down on public drinking.
I can solve that problem for you: PROHIBITION!
One piece of advice - Do not tweet police: "Pionta Guinness, le do thoil." That's Gaelic for, "A pint of Guinness, please."
--more--"
Yeah, I guess the Boston's finest don't have any better things to do than stand outside liquor stores or....
"Earlier this month, police wrapped up a 30-day sting involving plainclothes officers mimicking tourists and other pedestrians. Once they were panhandled, they essentially became victims guaranteed to show up for a trial"
