Moving toward the electronic community-oriented policing era : Content and strategies of police use of social media
出版項
2016
說明
1 online resource (245 pages)
文字
text
無媒介
computer
成冊
online resource
附註
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 78-06(E), Section: A
Adviser: Jurg Gerber
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Sam Houston State University, 2016
Includes bibliographical references
Many police departments (about 96%) in the United States have adopted social media (IACP Center for Social Media, 2015). About 94% have implemented Facebook (IACP Center for Social Media, 2015). However, academia has paid very little attention to police use of social media (e.g., Crump, 2011; Heverin & Zach, 2010; Lieberman, Koetzle, & Sakiyama, 2013; Procter, Crump, Karstedt, Voss, & Cantijoch, 2013). The current dissertation selects 15 police departments in the United States based on most Facebook "likes" and analyzes their Facebook posts during a one-year period (i.e., from October 1St, 2013 to October 1St, 2014). Using a grounded theory approach, the current dissertation discovers five major themes among police Facebook posts (i.e., crimes and criminals, tips, police-public relations, personnel, and social networking sites) and 24 subthemes. Based on preferences toward content, police departments can be divided into four groups labeled as crime fighter, traditional cop, public-relation facilitator, and mixer. Also, the current dissertation indirectly examines public attitudes toward police Facebook posts by using number of Facebook likes, number of Facebook shares, and number of Facebook comments. The findings suggest that posts with narratives and pictures and written in a humorous way will be favored by the public. Also, the current dissertation proposes suggestions that may help police departments improve their Facebook posts, such as providing accurate and detailed information, keeping Facebook posts clean and organized, and encouraging the public to provide feedbacks. Additionally, policy implications include organizational principles that are proposed by the current dissertation to help police departments get ready for innovations of social media in the future, such as determining the need and purpose of using social media and change of personnel. Limitations and future research are also discussed. Nevertheless, the current dissertation concludes that police departments shall never give up social media. Indeed, police departments should be prepared for the forthcoming electronic community-oriented policing era
