Cops Walking the MySpace Beat 278
theodp writes "Meet the point-and-click police. Newsweek reports that a growing number of ordinary officers are working a new beat, turning to MySpace to collect clues and crack offline cases. Most of the nabbed wrongdoers have been victims of their own hubris, like the two boys who uploaded video of themselves firebombing an abandoned airplane hangar earlier this month."
Why I post AC (Score:5, Interesting)
Plain and Simple (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Plain and Simple (Score:5, Interesting)
It never fails to amuse me when people post pictures of their weed, bongs and/or them hitting the bong.
The only difference between then and now, is that like your friends, the police (or your school, boss, parents) can also go online to see your pictures and videos.
Re:This is common... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Plain and Simple (Score:3, Interesting)
I know that they have been known to hire people with access to the schools facebook (either current employees who are alumni or simply "hey, we will pay you $x for y amount of time with access to your account"). Now that facebook has tagable pictures that are much more advanced than myspace's photos, it's not even what you put in your own profile that matters but what other people post pictures of you doing. They aren't going to care about the ubiquitous pictures of minors consuming alcohol (its college...) but there are people with profiles where 90% of the pictures show them with a bong/blowing out smoke/something else along the lines. All things being equal (or even not being equal), I'm going to take the applicant that has pictures showing them doing a variety of activities over the one where the majority of their photos show them smoking pot. Some of it is just simple common sense...the untag button is there for a reason.
LA Times Article (Score:4, Interesting)
and someone's watching where the cops.. (Score:4, Interesting)
So Barney Fife and Roscoe P. Coltrain if you're listening...some of us are watching.
Re:Evolution in Action (Score:1, Interesting)
They may even actively participate in campaigning for legalization or something but when it comes to actually DOING the drug, the risks are too great. You can call the cops and tell them you are going to give a speech on why the world needs more meth but you cant call the cops and tell them when and where you are going to be doing a bunch of meth because that would inhibit your ability to continue doing so.
In most ways, I agree with you that people shoudl be willing to do what they are willing to admit (like that cute girl I hooked up with last friday) but there are cases where they arent necissarily going to want to tell everyone like in the /. story a few days ago about the porn-guy who certainly wasnt personally ashamed of his business--he certainly told his mother--but didnt want everyone on his street knowing his profession. Note: this doesnt count for the ugly fat chick my roommate went home with. Despite the fact that he was getting quite desperate, he probobly was ashamed and somehowm everyone is still going to know about it...
(AC because I moderated)
Re:Evolution in Action (Score:1, Interesting)
I have the privilege of living in the Netherlands, where smoking pot is legalised (decriminalised): I am honest about using pot towards friends and strangers, but I don't expect someone else in another country, where there might be a fine for using/possessing pot to do the same.
In this case it isn't people's embarrassments that's holding them from being honest, but not wanting to go to jail.
For good measure, let's tick the AC-button here: I never know if my future employer might be reading this! :D
Cops Should Patrol myRedbook (Score:1, Interesting)
The time has come to shutdown myRedbook and to arrest the people running its web site. The cops need to do their job.
Re:Disappointment.. (Score:3, Interesting)
and man, you're really bad off if you don't like jedis
for the article: if you're dumb enough to blog your crimes, you're place is in the prison.
Re:Forget Future Employers (Score:5, Interesting)