What is the impact of social media on law enforcement practices?

This project explores the impact of social media on law enforcement practices in Canada and in other countries. This research includes an extensive literature review as a secondary research collection method, as well as primary research from interviews with different law enforcement agencies in Canada. The main scope of this research is to study the impact and the influence that social media has on the police force. This paper will also examine the evolution in the use of social media. This study is based on the impact that the use of social media has on law enforcement in terms of public-safety awareness. Primary data from participants’ interviews and secondary data from published literature have been used as data sources. The project aims to find out whether this tool is helpful, if it increases the prevention of crime, and if it is useful for investigations. In this study, the investigation, the prevention of crime, the public relations and the information's credibility are evaluated. The data is supported by the distinct life experience of police officers, and from several independent articles.