LOWER PAXTON TOWNSHIP, DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. - Police are reminding people of the importance of reporting crimes to police and not just posting about them on social media.
If you're a social media user, you've likely come across posts warning about things like a strange person in the neighborhood or a weird noise heard late at night. Happening more and more often, the information in these posts are never directly shared with police.
"You can't just expect we're going to see it on Facebook or something like that," said Cpl. Walt Cook, Lower Paxton Township Police. "We need people to call us, and in a timely manner. If they can call us when there's an action happening there's a much better probability that we'll catch somebody than if they wait an hour or two and then call us."
Cpl. Cook says they've noticed people will post about traffic violations online but not call them. It's not just affecting Dauphin County but Cumberland County too. Lower Allen Township Police Department recently reminding people on Facebook to report crimes when they see them. There have been several alleged incidents in their jurisdiction reported on social media but never reported to police. Cpl. Cook says if you're thinking you should call police, then you absolutely should, no matter how little the situation may seem.
"If people think something is too minor, it's not," said Cpl. Cook. "Every little thing, you never know one little detail might add into another little call that we received and that little detail might break the case."
If you are reporting a crime, call 911 directly. Do not message police department's facebook pages as they are not monitored 24/7.
