We’ve had myriad news stories on Police1 about officers being disciplined — at times fired outright — for pictures posted to the web. From officers donning ill-advised Halloween costumes, to officers doffing all their duds altogether — there are abundant examples of bad decisions which are potentially career-killers. The fact is, any photo taken with a modern mobile phone — I’m looking at you, iPhone, Android, and Blackberry, to name just a few — and posted to Twitter, Facebook, or Myspace is potentially an actual killer.
Don’t believe me? Watch the video below. The technology is called “geotagging” and quite literally, even the most moronic village idiot in your patrol area can right-click, copy, paste, hit enter, and instantly get your most precious data.
Watch the video. In it you’ll see just how easy it is for a bad guy to take data from the image and learn the exact street address, of your home, your favorite mountain bike trail, regular coffee shop or restaurant, or any other such off-duty location you frequent. From there, well, you know the story.
Be safe out there. Be careful what you post online.
