Riverside Police Announce Cyber-Community Policing Initiatives

On March 14th the Riverside Police Department will allow their Twitter followers to ride along with them without having to leave the comfort of their home.  During this "Virtual Ride Along" officers will live Tweet during their patrol and possibly send photos and videos of their activity.  It will give the public a glimpse into a day in the life of a police officer.  We intend to use the event as an educational tool as well with teachable moments on driving safety, pedestrian safety and crime prevention.

We hope the "Virtual Ride Along" will draw attention to our newly launched Twitter account @riversidepdnj.  The account was setup in response to the widespread use of social media and the ability to make rapid community notifications from the field.  The use of Twitter will  allow us to keep community members updated on events, community hazards, natural disasters and police activity.

We have also developed a YouTube channel for the future release of videos which may aid in suspect apprehension and crime solving.