Police inform public via social media,

As Orlando police officers converged on Michael Wayne Pettigrew, the 26-year-old Orlando native accused of brandishing a fake gun at Orlando International Airport on Tuesday, Sgt. Wanda Miglio was on her cellphone, updating the department’s Twitter feed.

Her goal: quell social-media speculation that shots had been fired.

“There is no active shooter,” read a Tweet sent by Miglio on the department’s official account at 9:04 p.m. “No shots fired. Suspect is contained. Will post updates as we receive them.”

On social media, political debate and silly memes can drown out emergency agencies’ efforts to inform the public.

When a potentially dangerous situation arises, emergency agencies update regularly on social media in the hope that inaccurate information can be contained, Orlando Police Department Public Information Officer Michelle Guido said.

“One tweet can take off like wildfire across the internet,” said Guido, who accompanied Chief John Mina at the airport during the incident. “Then we are tasked with a very difficult job of trying to make sure people are getting accurate information.”

As more emergency agencies join social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, it has given them a direct link to the community and to people who might need the information most, said Catherine Trestini, a socialmedia consultant in Orlando.

“People are getting their news from social media, period,” she said. “They are getting it from their friends and family. This is how we communicate and learn what’s going on.”

The nearly-three-hour incident started about 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, when Pettigrew told a Mears transportation employee that he had a gun, according to an affidavit. Responding police met Pettigrew, who pointed a fake gun at officers.

As the standoff grew in length, some Twitter users started to speculate that shots had been fired.

“It gets somewhat frustrating, but we understand that,” said Miglio, who had set up at a command center with media at the airport’s north cellphone lot. “We try to train people to come to our Twitter account to get the most accurate information.”

Later in the standoff, reports circulated that the suspect was in custody.

Again, the department’s Twitter account had to step in.

“UPDATE: Armed suspect is contained but not in custody,” a 9:27 p.m. tweet read. “Suspect is speaking with a crisis negotiator. Please report only confirmed info.”

“You have to shift and change and provide information in the way that people get information, or your information is useless,” Guido said. “We are not simply trying to just update the world.

“We try to get information out that can keep people safe and out of harm’s way.”