YouTube Helps Police Nab Real-life Criminals

Several United States Police departments have started to take help form popular video sharing sites on the internet, such as Google Owned YouTube, to fish out crime suspects.

When Patrolman Brian Johnson of the Franklin, Mass., police department didn't recognize two suspects, caught on a surveillance camera allegedly stealing credit cards at a Home Depot, he posted a clip from a security camera on YouTube.com and e-mailed about 300 people and organizations to say the department was looking for these suspects.

Apart from the Massachusetts Police Department, a handful of other police departments have also started to utilize YouTube as a law enforcement tool, putting up video of suspects and eliciting help from the Internet-using public in identifying them. Recently in Hamilton, Canada, the police posted a 72-second surveillance video to locate a suspect in a fatal stabbing outside a hip-hop concert. The investigating officer sent messages on Web sites frequented by hip-hop fans alerting them to the clip and said the video received around 35,000 page hits. The police had enough information within two weeks for an arrest.

There have also been instances where the police officers themselves have been exposed in acts of brutality against 'suspects'. Groups that monitor police behavior use the site to post videos of arrests they believe involve excessive force or abuse. For example, a clip of a Los Angeles officer repeatedly punching a suspect in the face, titled 'Police Brutality' surfaced on the site last year, triggering an FBI investigation.

Analysts say while this idea is promising, it's too soon to tell whether it will have staying power. Also, video sharing sites could generate fruitless tips and even present privacy concerns for users and the police alike.