Police Social Media Examined, Paper Won’t Mention LVwithLove

A lot has been made of Bethehem Police using social media as a way to be more transparent with the public at large.

We love it. Most people do. However, there are always concerns.

A recent Morning Call local newspaper article addressed the issue at length and it makes for an interesting read.

But, hey, come on! If you’re going to talk about our totally awesome Musikfest Scavenger Hunt you can at least name us.

Not cool, journalist. Not cool.

And hearing the buzz on the virtual block also can ward off potential problems. One example happened last summer during Musikfest, a festival that can draw 100,000 people a day to Bethlehem. Schiffer, the city’s police chief, saw plans for a photo scavenger hunt unfold on a local blog and knew it could spell trouble for police at an event where drinking sometimes takes center stage.

The contest called for various photos, including someone who was passed out, vomiting or being arrested, and police officials worried that a photographer could draw unnecessary attention to the situation and possibly spark a confrontation, which wouldn’t be good for police or festival-goers.

So, the city’s top cop took to the department’s Twitter account, reaching out with a light-hearted quip:

“Better to chat beforehand than after when it’s too late… O=O (those are handcuffs),” Schiffer wrote. SOURCE: The Morning Call A Local Newspaper

And we did chat and it was all cool and the cops were even like, “Hey, be safe and have a good time but don’t be an idiot.” (That’s not a direct quote.)

Anyway, I get it, you don’t wanna name the local blog because people would then go read it and you don’t want that to happen because, pay wall, don’t wanna admit we are fun, etc.

The irony here is that I periodically get emails from the Morning Call with them telling me I am “taking too much” of a story, etc. But, they can not source the blog and our scavenger hunt? Our idea?

It’s cool though. I see how it is now. I see what you did there.

At the end of the day, whatever, it’s no big thang. But, there is a definite reason they don’t feel like naming us and that just makes us want to continue what we’re doing even more so.