[Scan-DC] Baraboo Scanner Organization Facebook page

[Alan Henney]

Baraboo News-Republic (Wisconsin)

January 30, 2016 Saturday  
ALL Edition

FACEBOOK PAGE IMPACTS POLICE; 
BARABOO SCANNER CAN AID AND HINDER EFFORTS

BYLINE: Rhonda Siebecker rsiebecker at capitalnewspapers.com

SECTION: FRONT; Pg. A1

LENGTH: 808 words

Some local law enforcement officials say online social media is changing the way their departments respond to emergencies.

Representatives from both the Sauk County Sheriff and Baraboo Police departments say their agencies have communicated differently during recent major incidents to avoid information from being posted instantly online that could compromise their activities.

The departments instead have begun changing radio frequencies and assigning officers to monitor activity on one particular Facebook page. 

The Baraboo Scanner Organization Facebook page has more than 26,300 "likes," which allow posts from Baraboo Scanner to show up in an individual's news feed. The Facebook page administrators listen to emergency radio broadcasts and post what they hear online. Police say so much instant information in the hands of so many people can be tough to control, especially when a potential crime scene becomes an interest to rubberneckers.

"I think it can be a great help and a great hindrance," Baraboo Police Department Capt. Rob Sinden said. "They certainly help get the word out during events, but it also increases traffic."

Sauk County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Jeff Spencer has safety concerns, too.

"They can compromise officer safety in tactical situations," he said. "They've been giving a play-by-play of what we're doing and what if a suspect is monitoring that?"

Spencer said the page also can be a helpful tool for the department.

"They have a large following and have been very beneficial in getting information out there, like when we are looking for someone," Spencer said.

The Facebook page operates anonymously. Administrators are not named and no contact information is displayed. Page users can request an administrator of the page to contact them.

An administrator responded to one News Republic email with questions about the page's impact on local law enforcement.

"Like many thousands of citizens, I enjoy listening to the scanner. I like to know what is going on in my community, in real time," a page representative said. "In 2011, I decided to try sharing some of what I hear. Apparently, others do like to read what I share."

In addition to posting comments from emergency radio traffic, the page also regularly shares links to news media stories, typically those that involve law enforcement. One theme is prevalent throughout the Baraboo Scanner page - preventing drunk driving.

"We are very bothered by the number of drunk driving arrests in this state, so we share nearly everything we find in that regard," the page representative said. "That has been a kind of mission of Baraboo Scanner, educating people on the dangers of driving impaired. Yes, we have lost friends and acquaintances to drunk drivers."

Sauk Prairie Police Chief Jerry Strunz and Reedsburg Police Chief Tim Becker both said they have not seen any negative effects from the page, aside from some misinformation that may be shared among readers. They said the Baraboo Scanner Page is helpful in "getting the word out" when the public needs to be informed.

However, Becker said a meeting between page administrators and officers would be a good idea.

"I think it would be beneficial if they met with local law enforcement, if everybody got on the same page," Becker said.

The Baraboo Scanner representative said the page provides a service to the community.

"I do believe that our posts have led to tips and possibly to arrests," the representative said. "I have no facts to back that statement up."

None of the local law enforcement officials would confirm any actual arrests from Baraboo Scanner Facebook page leads, but the officials said they read the comments from individuals who post.

"When we monitor, there is sometimes information that comes across from the public that can be helpful in an investigation, but that should be made directly to law enforcement," Spencer said.

Both Spencer and Sinden said they monitor the page during major incidents, but not on a regular basis.

Law enforcement acknowledged the page's administrators follow a certain etiquette with their posts and in monitoring comments.

Spencer said the department has noticed accident pictures are not allowed to be posted, pending notifications of relatives.

"They are very good about not putting names or pictures of vehicles in," he said. "We want to do notifications ourselves, in person. We don't want a loved one to read about it and see it. Baraboo Scanner page is very good about not positing that stuff in that manner."

With the popularity of online social media, Sinden said law enforcement agencies have had to adapt. "Technology is what it is," he said.

"It's the sign of the times," Spencer said. "Its' the way society has transformed and communicates... so, we have to change with it."

GRAPHIC: The Baraboo Scanner Facebook page posts information from emergency radio traffic. Spencer Rob Sinden