It’s no secret that video evidence has had a huge impact on the Law Enforcement community in the past couple of decades. Digital and Analog video recordings captured from surveillance systems at the scene of the crime have revolutionized the way police approach evidence collection. But it seems that there’s a new way of finding and using video evidence, one that has become more and more popular over that past few years with the increased popularity of online networking.
In early 2005, YouTube.com was launched, allowing users to upload, view and share video clips on the Internet. YouTube quickly grew to a reported 65,000 video uploads per day by July of 2006 and paved the way for similar video sharing sites such as Liveleak and Google Video. The public jumped at the chance to post videos with content ranging from clips of television shows to personal videos of themselves and friends. It didn’t take long for the Law Enforcement community to see the value of people posting videos of their actions–particularly when these actions are in some cases self incriminating. And especially considering that many people don’t realize they can and will be held accountable for what they do in these posted videos.
In addition to the rise of video posting sites, there is the ever-growing popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace. Facebook especially has been gaining momentum over the years (150 million active users worldwide to date). A Facebook account allows the user to enter personal information about themselves, post and create picture albums, upload or link videos and create a social network. Ultimately, Facebook enables people from all over the planet to communicate, connect and share videos quickly and easily.
Recent news reports illustrate how online video posting and social networking have been useful tools for Law Enforcement officers to help solve crimes around the world.
Police use posted videos
The most obvious way police have utilized video posting and social networking is by allowing Internet users to incriminate themselves. There have been multiple cases of Police officers finding videos of crimes posted on YouTube or Facebook and tracing it back to and charging the poster.For example, in March 2008, in a suburb near New York City, three Ossining High School students attacked an 18 year old in a church parking lot. One of the students recorded the attack on his cell phone, including imagery of his friends punching, kicking and cutting the victim with a pocketknife. The assailants then posted the clip, about a minute in length, on YouTube for anyone to see.
While interviewing students at Ossining High on an unrelated case, the police were informed of the video. The clip ultimately led to the arrest of the assailants on charges of first-degree gang assault. Without the incriminating video being circulated on YouTube, authorities would have had a more difficult job ahead.
Another example of using online networking was more recently presented in Indiana, PA right after the 2009 Super Bowl. The streets of the town were flooded after the game with 2000 rioters celebrating the Steelers’ victory. Several fires were reported and Philadelphia Street was temporarily shut down. During the riots, police were consumed with controlling the crowd and R were not able to make arrests on crimes being committed in the area. But the following week, a police officer in a neighboring town found YouTube videos and pictures on Facebook of two men setting fire to a couch during the riots. Using information on the user’s Facebook page, Indiana Police were able to identify the two men and ultimately file arson charges against them.
Police post videos
In New Zealand, police are using online social networking and video posting to their advantage in a different way. Instead of looking to the Internet to find incriminating videos, Queenstown police has taken advantage of the Facebook social network to circulate evidence by creating a user group titled “Queenstown Police”. They’ve posted multiple pictures and videos of local crimes in an attempt to get the public’s help in finding suspects, and have so far had at least one success.
In early January 2009, a young man attempted to break into a safe in a local tavern. During the robbery, the suspect apparently got hot, removing a balaclava he was using to cover his face for relief. A hidden security camera got a shot of this. Police then took the footage, including screenshots of the suspect’s face, and posted them on their Facebook group. The public was soon able to help authorities identify the suspect, ultimately leading to his arrest.
Though Queenstown’s use of Facebook may seem unique, their success could inspire others to start using social networking to help find criminals.
Concerned citizens post crimes
Police aren’t the only ones hoping to find value in YouTube and Facebook in the fight against crime. Citizens are trying to help the authorities by filming and posting crimes they’ve witnessed.
In fact, last Spring a woman living near downtown Seattle attempted to use YouTube to get the attention of local authorities. From her third-floor balcony, the woman was witnessing a number of crimes–drug use, prostitution and fighting, just to name a few. Though she attempted to report the crimes to the police, they were not responding. So she decided to take matters into her own hands, recording the criminal activities happening all around her. She then posted the videos on YouTube, giving them names like “Bums smoking crack in the afternoon” and “Crackhead makes a pipe out of a can while wearing a sombrero”.
The videos caught the attention of a local Seattle news blog, multiple TV stations and newspapers including the Seattle Times. The police were made aware of the videos–and many Seattle citizens were made aware of the potential value of posting videos online.
Security systems. Cell phones. Video cameras. There are more and more ways that every action around us can be captured on video. And Law Enforcement and private citizens alike are learning that simply posting this footage online can be a huge step toward solving a crime.
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