Facebook helps law enforcement
Ann Lauricello
Issue date: 3/2/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
The Web site Facebook.com is popular among college students; however, the social
network is now being used as a virtual crime fighting tool.
With an impressive rank as the eighth most trafficked Web site on the internet,
your Facebook profile has the potential to reach millions of people -
including the police.
CU Boulder Police Commander Brad Wiesley isn't shy about his department's use
of the website to catch illegal activity.
"We have Facebook accounts. We have department members who have them. It's
no secret and we're not trying to hide anything, but usually we'll get a call
or a tip from somebody that there's information on there that we should be
aware of," Wiesley said.
Police aren't the only people checking up on your profile, as local liquor
merchants have also grown web-savvy.
Some Boulder bars and alcohol outlets use the site to verify the identification
of a patron suspected of trying to buy alcohol with a fake ID.
Conflicting Facebook information and ID statistics could spell trouble for the
card-holder.
Kyle Ebner, a local bartender, noted that the information people post about
themselves on the public website, such as name and birth date, is usually
correct. Ebner catches fake ids every night he employs his Facebook technique.
"We do catch a lot of the stupid criminals, stupid people with fake ids who
don't even think about changing their Facebook or anything that everybody has
access to," he said.
These criminals could face serious consequences if caught with a fake id. A
ticket will cost you $500 and repeat offenders are looking at jail time.
network is now being used as a virtual crime fighting tool.
With an impressive rank as the eighth most trafficked Web site on the internet,
your Facebook profile has the potential to reach millions of people -
including the police.
CU Boulder Police Commander Brad Wiesley isn't shy about his department's use
of the website to catch illegal activity.
"We have Facebook accounts. We have department members who have them. It's
no secret and we're not trying to hide anything, but usually we'll get a call
or a tip from somebody that there's information on there that we should be
aware of," Wiesley said.
Police aren't the only people checking up on your profile, as local liquor
merchants have also grown web-savvy.
Some Boulder bars and alcohol outlets use the site to verify the identification
of a patron suspected of trying to buy alcohol with a fake ID.
Conflicting Facebook information and ID statistics could spell trouble for the
card-holder.
Kyle Ebner, a local bartender, noted that the information people post about
themselves on the public website, such as name and birth date, is usually
correct. Ebner catches fake ids every night he employs his Facebook technique.
"We do catch a lot of the stupid criminals, stupid people with fake ids who
don't even think about changing their Facebook or anything that everybody has
access to," he said.
These criminals could face serious consequences if caught with a fake id. A
ticket will cost you $500 and repeat offenders are looking at jail time.
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