The Baltimore, MD Police Department has always been a media darling. First, it was the ’90s TV show “Homicide: Life on the Street.” Then, there was the 2002-2008 run of the award-winning series The Wire. Now, there is the Baltimore Police Department Twitter account: twitter.com/baltimorepolice.
The first tweet concerned a shooting at East Oliver Street and Rutland Avenue, where a minor was shot and wounded. Since the first tweet, the flow of information from the BPD has been constant:
1. SHOT-2125 HOLLINS ST-ADULT MALE SHOT IN UPPER TORSO.about 10 hours ago via ÜberTwitter
2. ARRESTS OF WEAPONS: 2700 Blk of Edmondson Ave, 1 arrest and recovery of a .44 Magnum revolver. Great job, WD/DDU! About 11 hours ago via Twitter for iPhone
3. REMINDER: Expect traffic delays for fallen BPD officer James Fowler’s funeral. Service starts at 10am about 15 hours ago via ÜberTwitter
4. UPDATE: 2000 block of Harford Road. There are no injuries to the officer. Suspect transported to a local hospital 7:19 pm Oct 3 via Twitter for BlackBerry®
5. 8:30 pm shooting: 2000 blk Harford Rd School Police officer involved. PIO responds on October 3 at 5:40 pm via Twitter for BlackBerry®
The above tweets give the same image of Baltimore presented in “Homicide” and “Wire”.
In its short life, the account has already garnered nearly 10,000 followers, including multiple accounts from the police department, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, and Barack Obama. Police officers say the Twitter account helps them connect directly with the public and get feedback on cases. In addition, the department plans to use Twitter as a real-time tool to provide information about major incidents to the general public and the media.
The account also gives the public a channel to connect with the police department. Police Radio Band listeners can now ditch their analog gear and stay on the move by following the Baltimore Police Department on Twitter.