By Leischen Stelter, editor of In Public Safety
In May, American Military University (AMU) hosted a webinar in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). This webinar focused on advanced social media investigation techniques to help law enforcement officers and agencies locate and rescue lost or missing children.
The Power of Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for investigations, especially when it comes to locating missing persons, said instructor James Deater, who is a law enforcement education coordinator with AMU and a 25-year officer with the Maryland State Police Department. While many applications have legitimate safe uses, criminals have found ways to exploit vulnerabilities, which police need to be aware of during investigations. For example, police must be aware that many social media platforms and apps can be used to mask a person’s real identity.
When officers are investigating a suspicious person, the first task is to make sure that person is real. Deater pointed to apps such as Invisible Boyfriend and Invisible Girlfriend that allow a person to create a fake boyfriend or girlfriend, complete with social media accounts, text messages, voicemails, handwritten notes, photos, and more. Before officers start pursuing leads, they need to be sure a person has more than just social media accounts to prove they exist.
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