International Association of
Chiefs of Police
SOCIAL MEDIA FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
Face b ook
BE THERE
THE BASICS
Facebook provides your agency an
opportunity to connect with your
community, build trust, and increase
transparency. Not only does it have a large
audience, but Facebook is unique in that it
is popular among all demographic groups
according to the Pew Research Center.
i
Think of Facebook as the virtual
space where the community and your
department get to know each other and
build a stronger relationship. Pushing your
news and updates out fast and frequently
emphasizes your agency as the best
source of information rather than other
typical media outlets.
WHAT MAKES FACEBOOK DIFFERENT?
Facebook Live
This feature lets you stream a live event,
interact with the audience while it is
happening, and post it when it ends so
users can watch the whole video later.
This is a great opportunity to build
your community engagement. Good
opportunities for Facebook Live are
press conferences, on-scene briefings, or
community events.
Social media allows law enforcement agencies to better
communicate their news with the public. While departments can
and should still work with conventional media, they no longer need
to rely on those media outlets to share news stories. Social media
platforms provide an excellent opportunity to build trust with the
community. However, if departments are not prepared to consistently
manage and message on social media, it can sometimes end up doing
more harm than good. Here are some best practices and important
questions to consider to help your agency make the most of this
powerful communications tool.
PLATFORM
PARTICULARS

2.23 billion people log
in every month. 66%
log in daily.
ii

Five profiles are
created every second.
iii

Facebook is the 3rd
most-visited website
behind Google and
YouTube.
iv

62% of people ages
65 and older are
Facebook users.
iv

People look 5x longer
at video posts than
static ones.
vi
BE READY
DEVELOPING A FACEBOOK STRATEGY
Posting
If you want to promote it, you should post
it on Facebook. Press releases, alerts,
suspect IDs, or questions to engage the
community are all useful options. Get
creative and post video updates or other
content to share with the community
about upcoming events, programs, or
other fun opportunities.
Facebook Messenger
Don’t forget about Facebook Messenger.
Your community may reach out via
Messenger with questions, comments,
concerns, or to report a crime. Use this as
a communication tool to provide a semi-
confidential space for reporting.
Commenting on posts
Commenting allows a unique opportunity
for engagement with your community. You
will need a policy for commenting. When
creating your policy for comments, some
questions to consider are:
■ Will you reply to comments?
■ How will your department decide
whether to hide or delete a
comment?
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International Association of
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Often these policies have already been defined, or need
to be defined, by your legal and/or communications
department. Make sure the right people are involved in
your decision making.
BEWARE
THE PITFALLS
There will be negative comments on your posts. You
need to have policies in place, and people prepared to
act on these policies. Have decisions made about what
would make you delete or hide a comment from a user,
and whether you can delete or hide one of your posts,
before the situation occurs so emotions are left out of
the process.
The Facebook algorithm arranges users’ news feed posts
in such a way that your agency’s posts may not appear
right away to all of your followers, so caution should be
exercised when posting time-sensitive or emergency
information on Facebook.
Tips, Tricks, and Strategies
to Consider
■ Have a defined strategy for using Facebook. It
is the ideal platform for questions and ongoing
engagement. Decide which types of content you will
post, how often, and how you will interact with your
virtual community on Facebook.
■ Ensure your Facebook banner and icon photo are
consistent with your other social media accounts.
■ Don’t post the same message on multiple platforms.
If you want to share the same content, tailor the
copy to fit your strategy, Facebook’s style, and large
character limit.
■ Have a Social Media Manager and a designated
backup, who both are knowledgeable in the nuances
of Facebook. If something needs to be posted
immediately, all members of the department should
know who is in charge.
■ Know your jurisdiction’s policies and public information
laws that will aect your Facebook strategy.
For more information about social media in your agency visit the Technology and Social Media
page on the IACP website. If you are an IACP member access the Social Media Considerations
documents for practices of implementation.
ENDNOTES
i Gramlich, John. "Facts about Americans and Facebook." Pew Research Center 10
ii Ibid.
iii "Top 20 Facebook Statistics–Zephoria Inc. March 01, 2019. Accessed April 03, 2019. https://zephoria.com/top-15-valuable-facebook-
statistics/.
iv Kemp, Simon. "Internet Growth Accelerates, but Facebook Ad Engagement Tumbles." We Are Social. July 25, 2018.
Accessed March 19, 2019. https://wearesocial.com/blog/2018/07/internet-growth-accelerates-but-facebook-ad-engagement-tumbles.
vi Salman.Aslam.Mughal. "Facebook by the Numbers (2019): Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts.” January 06, 2019. Accessed April 03,
2019. https://www.omnicoreagency.com/facebook-statistics/.
v Ibid.
vii "Shifts for 2020: Multisensory Multipliers." Facebook IQ. June 20, 2017. Accessed March 19, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/
business/news/insights/shifts-for-2020-multisensory-multipliers.