SOUTHINGTON - While news reports of police using social networking Web sites such as Facebook as an investigative tool are commonplace, Southington police will begin using the site as a means of community outreach.

The initial idea is to provide residents with alerts on traffic incidents, road closures and similar items, but the police could expand the kinds of information available if the trial works well for both the department and the town.

"We will start slow and see how it goes. It's a whole new technology and a whole new concept," said Sgt. Lowell DePalma, community relations officer. "For residents, it could become something very helpful."

As social networking Web sites become increasingly popular, more organizations attempt to find ways to take advantage of them. DePalma was intrigued with the power of Twitter as a tool to send notifications to residents.

Twitter allows users to post text updates, which can be seen by other users who follow them. The updates can also be sent as text messages to cell phones.

"If you have a resident who takes Exit 32 home from work every day and just before they leave work they receive a tweet that says there is a backup, then they know to drive to exit 31 instead," DePalma said.

The state Department of Transportation has a similar system for notifying people of traffic incidents through e-mail, but does not often send out alerts for smaller highways or town streets.

In sharing the idea with IT Services Officer Michael Kahn, DePalma suggested using Facebook in addition to Twitter. Facebook can do the same thing as Twitter, but allows for longer messages, photos and even links to videos.

"I thought it was a great idea. I thought that by combining both of them, we could serve a greater audience," Kahn said. "I'll check it even when I am off duty. You have a road closure, you get that notification and I can change my route to work."

DePalma said the new way of delivering a message will not replace traditional media outlets; instead, it will add to it for people who find it more convenient this way.

And there is an added level of security - since Facebook and Twitter are not directly connected to Police Department computers, there are no police files for a hacker to attack. The only information will be posts by officers.

Another reason for using Facebook and Twitter instead of the department Web site is the ease of use for both updating the page and viewing it.

"It took longer to discuss our ideas, work out our vision and bring it to the chief than it did to actually create it," Kahn said.

DePalma stressed that the site would not be continually monitored by police and will be for outgoing messages only. Though the site allows people to post comments, DePalma said those will be immediately deleted. Residents should not try to contact police via Facebook or Twitter and need to continue doing so by phone, he said.

No other police department in the area uses either Web site in such a manner, so Kahn and DePalma said they are excited to see how the community responds.

As the new medium takes hold, DePalma expects a learning curve for both officers and residents to get used to the idea of using Facebook in this way. A search for Southington Police on Facebook indicated more than 500 people already use the Web site.

Resident David Zoni came across the Police Department Facebook page when the Web site suggested he become a fan since a friend of his was already a fan. He accepted, not really sure what the Police Department was going to do with the page, but wanted to show support. Zoni thinks the updates are a great idea.

"I like Facebook; I think it is a very powerful networking tool to link people together," Zoni said. "It's also a way to get a message out quickly to people. It's a great thing."

If a user already has a Facebook account, he can simply search for Southington Police on the Web site, visit the page and click on the "Become a Fan" link at the top of the page to receive updates. To have the updates sent to a cell phone, users just follow the steps given when clicking on the link "Subscribe via SMS" under the police logo. To get the updates through Twitter, visit the Web address www.twitter.com/SouthingtonPD.

rrathsack@record-journal.com

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