MEMPHIS, Tenn. — “People are actually doing it? They’re actually snitching on each other?”
Disbelief and laughter is how people reacted to a notice posted to Facebook by the police department in Kingsville, Texas.
It advertised a “free service” to drug dealers: Give us your competitor’s name and address, and we’ll go take care of them for you.
What’s even crazier is it has been working.
“If it’s working, social media’s the way of the future. So I think that’s where we’re going to be,” Memphis resident Todd Holliday said.
“I think it’s crazy people are actually responding,” Summer Foster said. “Hopefully it will get rid of some of the drug dealers in their area.”
District Attorney General Amy Weirich called the idea inventive and said more and more law enforcement agencies have begun using social media for police work.
“It’s a great way to keep track of people,” she said. “It’s a great way to find out what people are up to. It’s a great investigative tool, and it’s a great way to get the message out that communities have had all that they can take.”
She said she even believed our police locally could do something similar.
“I wish them luck, and if it works for them and is successful for them, maybe it’s something we need to apply here in Memphis and Shelby County,” she said.