Police Calculate Threat Levels Based On Social Media | Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight | Scoop.it

Police departments around the country are using high-powered analytics software to comb social media and calculate threat levels for individual suspects before they are arrested, according to the Washington Post, which first reported the news.


The program, called “Beware,” uses addresses awaiting police response, finds the names of individuals who lives there, and checks their name against social media and other publicly available sources of information like property records and prior arrests to determine if they may pose a threat to responding officers. In one example cited by the software’s manufacturer, Intrado, an individual who is a military veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder and posted troubling comments on social media would raise a red flag....