Even Lathrop Police Services has a New Year’s resolution this year – to grow their presence on social media.

As methods of communication have changed over the years and more people find themselves getting information from social networking sites, so have law enforcement entities that had previously relied on traditional means to communicate with the people they serve.

But as the phone calls have been replaced by the Facebook comments, and as agencies like Lathrop look to grow their online footprint, they’re also learning how to reap the benefits of new technologies as well.

According to Lathrop Police Chief Ryan Biedermann, social networking has given residents the power to appeal directly to the police and given his staff the chance to make decisions based on what residents are saying.

“The biggest complaint in Lathrop remains traffic issues, and we’ve based where we deploy our resources off of social media comments,” Biedermann said. “It’s a chance for the public to voice their concerns immediately and we monitor those and it gives us information that we can use to make decision about how to improve the quality of life in the community.”

One of the unspoken benefits of social media, Biedermann said, is that it keeps the 911 lines free for the sake of emergencies – less people are now calling 911 operators with complaints of speeding cars or other non-emergencies because they can now share that information directly with Lathrop Police Services online.

But there is a double-edged sword to being a part of the social media world.

More than once something has happened in the community and word has circulated far and wide online before an official statement has been made by the department, and eventually those cannons get pointed back at the agency itself for not responding quickly enough.

But it’s also a chance to hear exactly what the public thinks, which may be painful at times but overall serves as a net positive for the department when it comes to evaluating their performance.

“There are way more pros than cons – people shouldn’t have to call 911 to give us non-emergency information, and so this serves as a nice way to get ahold of us,” Biedermann said. “It’s good to see that the public likes what we’re doing, and it’s a chance for us to cater to what they need – people voice complaints about things like traffic, and we respond to their complaints, and people love that.

“It’s a different way of relaying information and responding to it, but I think that overall it’s been positive and it’s something we’re looking to improve.”

Currently the Facebook page for Lathrop Police Services is maintained by the Public Information Officers for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office – the agency that executes the policing contract for the City of Lathrop.

To contact reporter Jason Campbell email jcampbell@mantecabulletin.com or call 209.249.3544.