The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office was named fifth Most Social Media Friendly Police Department, ahead of agencies such as the New York Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department.
The award, based on a survey from MPHProgramslist.com, rated the one hundred largest police agencies. The examination was across multiple social media platforms, including Twitter, YouTube and Facebook.
The recent Boston bombings and manhunt highlighted how important social media has become for informing citizens about breaking news.
Lauri-Ellen Smith, leader of the public information unit for JSO, said the sheriff's office is studying how the Boston PD handled their social media.
"Their police department was communicating accurate information to citizens with immediacy and pro-active safety messages," said Smith. "We owe this to our citizens."
JSO's twitter account @JSOPIO has more than six-thousand followers. Tweets cover everything from crime prevention tips to breaking news.
For instance, this weekend @JSOPIO tweeted the following:
The sheriff's office's online presence doesn't end there. The "jaxsheriff" YouTube channel has more than 400 videos.
"The survey validates, for example, the importance of posting on the Internet our news conferences and announcements, unedited," Sheriff John Rutherford said. "We post them on our YouTube channel right after they are held."
The JSO says that even Facebook has helped them make Jacksonville a safer place.
"We've solved crimes off of the postings people have made on our Facebook page," Undersheriff Dwain Senterfitt said.
Here are the top ten most social media friendly police departments:
1st - Dallas Police Department
2nd - Boston Police Department
3rd - Portland Police Bureau
4th - Kansas City Police Department
5th - Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
6th - Arlington Police Department
7th - New York City Police Department
8th - Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
9th - Los Angeles Police Department