OREM, Utah -- A new social media experiment is helping officers put criminals behind bars in Orem, and police are calling it “Tattletale Tuesday.”
Orem Police Department said the program works by posting surveillance footage or other images on their Facebook page and Twitter account so they can ask for the public’s help in identifying the perpetrators.
A recent example was the theft of a tip jar from Juice 'n Java. This wasn’t the first time the jar had been stolen from the store, but this time police turned to Facebook for help. After the post was made, police received a message that led to them identifying the suspects and making an arrest in a matter of days.
Taylor Degrafenried is a manager at Juice 'n Java who expressed gratitude for Tattletale Tuesday.
“I’m really glad they were able to post this on Facebook and find the couple,” Degrafenried said. “It's a really big part of our income here, and I think it's a really unique way that they were able to catch this couple.”
Lt. Craig Martinez of the Orem Police Department said the expanded public exposure offered by social media can be very helpful.
“That’s a lighthearted way for us to be able to put suspect pictures or videos [up] that we’re trying to identify and solicit the public’s help in helping us solve some crimes in Orem," he said. "And it’s been very, very beneficial to us, and in this case: It worked.”
Orem police said so far it seems to be working, as they have about a 90 percent success rate in solving crimes when they post to social media about them. Orem PD plans to keep Tattletale Tuesday going.
