Monterey Park, CA – On a cold and drizzly morning at the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Headquarters Bureau, a 25-year-old social media dispatcher is sitting at a computer station in a dimly lit room skimming social media feeds on three large screens.
The tech-savvy civilian dispatcher is part of the bureau’s new, 24-hour Electronic Communications Triage or eComm Unit that monitors social media and Internet content, shares information with the public and trains sheriff’s officials to use such platforms.
“They’re watching social media and Internet comments that pertain to this geographic area, watching what would pertain to our agencies so we can prevent crime, help the public,” LASD Capt. Mike Parker said. “And now they’re going to be ramping up more and more with more sharing and interacting, especially during crises, whether it’s local or regional.”
Since launching last September, the eight-member eComm unit has identified a suicidal teen on Instagram, intercepted bomb threats made on Twitter and discovered plans for hundreds of illegal drug parties via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Continue reading “Police are spying on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, PInterest & other social media platforms.”