Social MediaHomicide Investigations

by Scott Mills

2008 Interpol + Social Media Prevent/SolveCrime @Interpol_ICPO

For full presentation at 5th Annual Interpol Fugitives Conference Nov/2008 Click ‘Documents’ tab http://InternetViolencePrevention.com

Relationships +TechnologyInternet Violence Prevention

http://bit.ly/OmahaIVP

Key Messages• Social Media Helps to Prevent And Solve

Crimes Together With Police and community.• Relationships + Technology Strategy Works• Community - Police - Media Crime Stoppers

Partnerships Are Needed To Prevent And Solve Crimes Worldwide

• Homicide Officers Need To Use Social Media for both communications and investigations

• Purpose + Process = Payoff + Potential • Social Media Policy, human resource

allocation and proper equipment should be a #1 priority for every Homicide Team.

Presenter | Scott Mills • Social Media Officer • Corp Comm | Toronto Police Service• CSIWorld.org Social Media Adviser • Facebook.com/ScotMills• Facebook.com/GraffitiBMXCop• Twitter.com/GraffitiBMXCop • Youtube.com/LegalGraffitiArt + TorontoBMX• Wordpress: InternetViolencePrevention.com• Storify.com/GraffitiBMXCop• Webdoc.com/GraffitiBMXCop • Foursquare.com/GraffitiBMXCop • Google Plus scotmills@gmail.com

QuickTime™ and a decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Reference Social Media Presentations on SlideShare

LinkedIn scotmills@gmail.com

*TorontoPolice* Youtube | Facebook | Twitter | UStream

Crime Stoppers InternationalFacebook Profile

Crime Stoppers World Getting Networked in #SM

@CSIWorld Twitter

Public Like Crime Stoppers Social Media Community

Channels + Appeal Channels

Plain Clothes ProfessionalFacebook Profile

• Facebook.com/ScotMills (Profile)

Uniform Professional Facebook Profile

Facebook.com/TPSSocialMedia

Facebook Page Unlimited “Likes”

Facebook.com/GraffitiBMXCop

Presentation CollaboratorDet/Sgt Frank Skubic

First Social Media Experience First Social Media Experience

“14 Take Skubic”“14 Take Skubic”

Toronto Toronto DemographicsDemographics

• Town of York – 1973Town of York – 1973• City of Toronto – 1834City of Toronto – 1834• Population - 2.48 million people Population - 2.48 million people (5.5 million in the GTA)(5.5 million in the GTA)

• 140 languages and dialects spoken140 languages and dialects spoken• 47 % Visible Minority47 % Visible Minority

•South Asian 12.0 %South Asian 12.0 %•Chinese 11.4 % Chinese 11.4 % •Black 8.4 % Black 8.4 % •Filipino 4.1%Filipino 4.1%•Latin American at 64,860 or 2.6 per cent Latin American at 64,860 or 2.6 per cent

• 44.7% Youth and Young Working age group44.7% Youth and Young Working age group (15-44 yrs) (15-44 yrs)

http://bit.ly/TorHistoryhttp://bit.ly/TorHistory

Toronto International Film FestivalToronto International Film Festival

Pride WeekPride Week

Scotiabank Caribbean FestivalScotiabank Caribbean Festival

Toronto AttractionsToronto Attractions

TD Canada Trust Jazz FestivalTD Canada Trust Jazz Festival

Honda IndyHonda Indy

Homicide SquadHomicide SquadS/I Mark SaundersS/I Mark SaundersUnit CommanderUnit Commander@TPSHomicide@TPSHomicide

Team 1Team 1Operational InspectorOperational Inspector

Team 2Team 2Operational InspectorOperational Inspector

Team 3 Team 3 Operational InspectorOperational Inspector

4 D/Sgts4 D/Sgts

6 Detectives6 Detectives

6 Detective Constables6 Detective Constables

4 D/sgts4 D/sgts

6 Detectives6 Detectives

6 Detective Constables6 Detective Constables

4 D/Sgts4 D/Sgts

6 Detectives6 Detectives

6 Detective Constables6 Detective Constables

Cold Case Cold Case D/Sgt, 3 Det, 1 D/CD/Sgt, 3 Det, 1 D/C

2 Administrative Staff2 Administrative Staff E-DisclosureE-Disclosure

Major Case Major Case ManagementManagement

StatisticsStatisticsYear # Solved Clearance % Firearm

20112011 34 YTD34 YTD 2323 67.65 67.65 1919

20102010 6262 2929 46.7746.77 3232

20092009 6262 3636 58.0658.06 3737

20082008 7070 4444 62.8662.86 3636

20072007 8686 6060 69.7769.77 4343

TORONTO HOMICIDES LAST 5 YEARS

86

70

62 62

34

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

"2007" "2008" "2009" "2010" "2011" ytd

YEAR

AverageAverage

Toronto Police ServiceSocial Media Strategy

• 2010 - 2011• Lauri Stevens Laws Communications• Policy for communications• Policy for investigations• Led by Deputy Chief Peter Sloly• Corporate Communications Team• 170 officers trained by end of 2011• Training team led by Sgt Tim Burrows• Traffic, Community Mobilization, Specialty Units,

Police Divisions, Individual Officers

Official Toronto PoliceSocial Media Facebook Page

Official Toronto PoliceSocial Media Terms of Use

Official Toronto PoliceHomicide Squad #FB Page

Individual Homicide OfficersFacebook + Twitter

Officer In Charge @TPSHomicide

Investigative Tool – InternetInvestigative Tool – Internet

Month – 279 Page hits April 19 – 63 April 20 - 27Month – 279 Page hits April 19 – 63 April 20 - 27

Homicide 46 Web Page HitsApril 2010

010203040506070

2010-04-012010-04-032010-04-052010-04-072010-04-092010-04-122010-04-142010-04-162010-04-202010-04-22

Total Hits

Overcoming Cultural Barriers – Reaching your Overcoming Cultural Barriers – Reaching your Target AudienceTarget Audience

Reaching a target audienceReaching a target audience

Imbedding VideoImbedding Video

Drawing InterestDrawing Interest

Search Warrants + Production Orders

• MLAT - treaty • Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty • Jurisdiction issues • Bogged down in bureacracy • Facebook used to have an office in Canada but that is

no longer • We don’t just need Facebook -- it is all of social media • Need to streamline the MLAT system - mutual

collaboration between law enforcement and social media providers worldwide

• Need gov’t coordination and regulation

Social Media | Traditional Media

• Balance between the integrity of the investigation and the public’s right to know

• Photos of witnesses or accused can be accessed by traditional media and the public as soon as their names are known and posted…

• Potentially compromising ID evidence for a trial - what do we do with this..

• Example of Ed Boyd video - specifically telling media NOT to release photo .. They did 12hrs later anyways BEFORE investigators had chance to show photo line up

Go Forward StrategyToronto Police Homicide

• @Fskubic wants to see…• Full time staff member in Homicide office overseeing

communications and investigations for social media • All homicide officers trained in use of social media for

communications and investigations • As each case is assigned, social media be engaged

for communications and investigations immediately and linked to major case management file manager

Promote Social Media

• Homicide officers need to promote to the public that they approachable by the public in social media

• The public can communicate with them via facebook and twitter

• For example

Use of SM by Homicide Cops to Reveal Photos From Crime

Scenes• This drives traffic to your social media

accounts - fans, followers and Likes that increase your reach

• Drives main stream media to your accounts as a ‘go to’ account for newsworthy items to fuel traditional media

SM As Investigative Tool Tracking of IP Address of

Person of Interest

• Investigative technique of posting a photo and tracking if a certain IP address views the photo several times

• It is a clue if an IP address from a specific location hits on the link several times - suspect may be in p

Full Message Gets Out

• In social media the homicide cop’s full message gets out there .. Not an ‘edited’ version as often occurs with traditional media

• Wire tap Stimulation “sentence” .. Traditional media leaves it out…

• @PeelPoliceMedia homicide case post on twitter from Henry F. Williams Homicide Conference today is front page on the largest circulation newspaper in Canada

@PeelPoliceMediaTweet Makes Front Page

@TorontoStar

Personalization of MessageTrust of Homicide Cop

• Social media allows the public to see that the homicide cop really cares

• Frank Skubic posts his entire script into the text portion of his youtube videos, and facebook “notes”

• Both the media and the public like this • Increases the accuracy of the reporting by

both traditional media and new media (bloggers etc)

Toronto HomicideSolves Case Using Youtube

Purpose + Process = Payoff + Potential• Peter Code video appealing for 2nd suspect … on

youtube from crime scene resulted in arrested party in another jursdiction wanting to talk ‘to the officer in the video” about name of 2nd suspect.

• D/Sgt Peter Code organized OHIA talk on this 2008 . .. Is not training officers at Canadian Police College to use social media for homicide investigations..

Geo Locations | “Check Ins” Facebook | Foursquare

• Crime scene check ins are a great tool for investigators to appeal for information

• Ready made witness list at scene• If not doing a check it, missing lots of potential

evidence• POTENTIAL FOR ALIBI TO BE CREATED• Critics say info management is challenge• NEED MAJOR CASE MANAGEMENT

SYSTEM integerated with social media investigator on all cases.

QuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Tagging of Facebook Photos

• Potential for suspect Id

• Potential for abuse• Great way to appeal for info• Great way to raise awareness + trust for

police• Great way to viral market education on

anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers

Location Tagging Foursquare and Facebook

• Be Aware of potential to create an alibi

• Facebook ‘friends’ can “check in” a friend to a place they are not at … however this will me minimized with the end of Facebook Places … and location tagging to be post specific…

All Homicide Cops Need A Smart Phone

• BBM ‘groups’ for back and forth talk is good - BBM messages encrypt before they hit the RIM server ..So back and forth chat between investigative team is not accessible for capture and disclosure .. There is a NEED for day to day chat among team members -- this ‘chat’ needs to be kept professional .. And creates transparency and is easily disclosed by the social media officer coordinator having the messages e-mailed to a central source …

Investigative Notes All Done On Smart Phone

• No need to hand write notes… do it all as you go ..on BBM and e-mail to case manager who inputs it all for actions in to major case management system

• Creates efficiency and transparency for the investigations

WEBDOCAll Homicide Cases in SM in

Toronto

• Reference document of all homicide appeals that have been made in social media in Toronto

• Webdoc.com/GraffitiBMXCop

STAFFING LEVELS

• We need to get into the 21st Century

• Significant human resources need to be added to social media

Importance of Live Streaming

• Timing is everything • Info needs to go out from the official

source in a timely fashion • Risks of live streaming - unrehearsed..

Once say something can’t take it back .. No differnce between a live media srum..

Live Streaming or Youtube video.. Or Both

• Live Stream video can be flipped to Youtube immediately

• LiveStream.com | Ustream.tv • A rehearsed video prepared just for

Youtube eliminates the potential for a slip up..

• Value in both formats --- have both available to use …

Message From Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police

Past President William Blair

• http://youtu.be/LTuKGOuvfVk

Why Do Police Need To Engage Social Media?

“There’s an important conversation going on and we know we have to be a part of it, and it’s a means by which we can reach a very broad audience, a targeted, focused audience in order to provide information (and) to learn from that discussion that’s taking place. It’s really important that we participate.”Chief William Blair