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Online social networks are already proving themselves invaluable assets to law enforcement. Websites such as Facebook and MySpace provide suspect leads; communities are alerted to missing children and area threats through law enforcement-generated Twitter feeds and e-mail.
Two officers with the Renton (Wash.) Police Department were suspended for this video depicting a mustachioed officer talking to a jail employee clown using robot voices. The video mocked staff and procedures of a new jail in South King County.
A near riot was caused on Hollywood Boulevard in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre when a Los Angeles DJ sent a Twitter message about an impromptu block party.
Waiting for a recall doesn't pay the bills for laid-off officers. Fortunately, most officers who are laid off may no longer be on the job, but they are not forgotten by their comrades.
Officer safety remains a paramount concern even if some choose to ignore it. We are losing our basic skills by relying too much on modern toys to do our jobs for us. In today's world, one of the biggest unrecognized threats to officer safety and survival is technology.