Here’s how social media posts can hurt local criminal investigations
Law enforcement officials are facing a new set of challenges in the age of social media. One such challenge is becoming more common — and I feel compelled to call attention to it. The act of capturing video or photographs of crime scenes and posting those images to social media is harmful to law enforcement investigative efforts.
This year, we’ve experienced two high-profile incidents in which citizens complicated our duties by publicizing crime scenes. On one occasion, our dive team was recorded as they recovered a body from Lake Travis. The footage was posted to Facebook.
In another investigation, neighbors filming and photographing a crime scene from their homes forced us to erect screens to block their view of a deceased person. A neighboring law enforcement agency recently had to deal with video of one of their scenes going out on Facebook Live before they had even been notified the scene existed.
It is always our mandate to be open with the public and share all the information we can regarding the job we do. That doesn’t mean we can share everything. There is much we must protect for the integrity of an investigation and for the dignity of the victims.
When an individual captures video or a photo of a crime scene, evidence has been generated — and that person has become a witness in the case. A voyeur who likely thinks he or she isn’t causing harm and has a right to photograph, can be compelled to testify in court. The device used to capture the images can also be seized and held as evidence.
Victims who are being treated at crime scenes have federal privacy rights, so it is not appropriate for a voyeur to publish imagery of them receiving medical care on social media.
In every crime scene, the unseen parties affected are the family and friends of the victim. It is foolish to think that posting footage of a crime scene to social media won’t eventually be seen by someone who loves the victim.
As a law enforcement agency, we work hand in hand with professionals in the media industry to give you as much information as possible in a manner that shows respect for the victims and their loved ones. Media professionals observe the boundaries of a crime scene and understand the ramifications of the footage they capture.
Evidence is the key to solving cases and bringing criminals to justice. We diligently protect information about what a crime scene looks like because it is the determining factor that allows us to know when we’re talking to a witness or suspect who is being truthful and was actually involved in the criminal act. There is certain information we must keep confidential to protect the integrity of the investigation and the case that will ultimately convict the criminal.
We want to solve cases. We want to see justice served. We desperately want to offer privacy and dignity to victims. The pain experienced by victims and family members alike breaks our hearts. To best serve them, we need cooperation from everyone in our community.
We’ve been talking about this issue in public forums and will continue to do so in the coming months. Together, we will educate the public and communicate ways to use social media wisely upon the rare occurrence of encountering an active crime scene.