There are many uses for social media other than connecting with friends. The Beaverton Police Department uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Nextdoor to provide Beaverton residents with reliable, up-to-date information on everything from critical incidents to community events. Each platform serves the same purpose for BPD- to keep citizens informed. However, each platform is used slightly differently. Here are the ways BPD utilizes each platform:
Facebook- The social media giant has 2.45 billion active users worldwide and remains the most comprehensive platform for reaching all demographics. Facebook provides BPD with a social media platform to share our contact information, website link, our department stats, and upcoming events.
Twitter- Worldwide, 500 million “tweets” are sent out every day! With that much noise you wonder, can we ever be heard? The answer is yes! @BeavertonPolice has sent 3,880 “Tweets” since 2012 and has almost 15k followers. BPD uses twitter to communicate short messages on everything from traffic crashes to missing person cases.
Instagram- Owned by Facebook since 2012, this social media platform is all about “moments.” Instagram is a “on the go” (think smartphone) platform focused on original, engaging, and unique content. Two thirds of total Instagram users are under 34 making this a great platform for BPD to reach out to a younger audience.
Nextdoor- Nearly 25k people follow BPD on Nextdoor! That’s roughly ¼ of the population of Beaverton. BPD uses Nextdoor for hyperlocal messaging. Targeting specific neighborhoods allows BPD to have more personalized conversations with specific neighborhoods without involving the whole city. Nextdoor also allows neighbors to alert police to suspicious activity in their area.
An email address is all that is needed to join any of these social media platforms and they can all be accessed from a computer through a website if you do not have a smart phone. Be sure to “follow” the Beaverton Police Department to get all of the updates.