Social media interactions indicating positive attitude toward the Durham Police Department and/or Durham Fire Department

The Durham Police Department has traditionally relied on press releases, the

department website and listservs to communicate information to the community.

However, law enforcement agencies are increasingly using social media to share their   

positive activities.

Social media provides a new forum for releasing information without depending on the

media or other sources. In addition, social media helps us reach new target audiences

who don’t rely on the media for their information. Law enforcement agencies are

effectively using a variety of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor

and YouTube.

During January-December 2018 period the number of followers for the Durham Police

Department’s Facebook page increased from 12,076 to 15,335.

During January-December 2018 period the number of Twitter followers grew from 3,663 to 4,882. The number of followers steadily increased each month with traffic issues generally garnering the most response.

The Durham Police Department plans to enhance our current social media outreach by

adding new followers to our platforms and continuing to distribute valuable information.

Our Facebook page is one of the best sources for providing positive and engaging

information about our department and employees to the community. We plan to

continue to utilize Twitter to enhance the department’s transparency and

communication with a different audience in the community through Tweeting up-to-date

information about our departmental activities. We will supplement the use of Facebook

and Twitter by expanding our YouTube page and continuing the use of the Nextdoor

private community social network. We want to increase the number of DPD Facebook

followers to 16,300 by Dec. 31, 2019, and have a reach of at least 1,000 for 80 percent of

our employee-featured Facebook photos. The Twitter target is to have 5,900 followers by

Dec. 31, 2019.