Huntingburg Police Department joins Facebook

The Huntingburg Police Department opened a Facebook Page Wednesday.

This is something I’ve been working on for the past week,” Assistant Police Chief Ronnie Bowman said.

Bowman attended a public information training school recently. Facebook and other social media platforms were discussed as a way for departments to engage and inform the communities they serve.

The department plans on using the new page to keep the community updated on activities in the area. Bowman and Tammy Luker, the department’s administrative assistant, will maintain the page. They plan on updating it with information about traffic, road closures, and other public safety issues.

The goal of the page is to increase the department’s connection with the community. “We are part of the community too,” Bowman said.

The training Bowman attended emphasized several different types of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Kik to be used by police departments. For now, Bowman feels that that Facebook has the strongest amount of engagement locally.

Local departments have continued to adopt the platforms. The Indiana State Police recently opened a YouTube.com account to accompany their Facebook and Twitter presence that has been active for a few years. Jasper Police Department has even started posting updates on Twitter.

Huntingburg is following suit in providing information to the community as well as correcting misinformation. But, Bowman wants to show the community the human side of the department’s officers.

“If we run the Facebook page in a positive way, showing the positive side of law enforcement,” Bowman said. “It increases the confidence Huntingburg and Dubois County citizens have in us.”

Bowman pointed out that the officers in the Huntingburg Department are part of the community they police. “I live on the north side of town. My children go to Southridge schools,” he explained. “We are here to do a job to keep this community safe but we are a part of this community and we want the best for it.”

The department’s new Facebook Page is here.