OC Police Utilizing Social Media To Help Identif y Wanted Suspects

OCEAN CITY – A concerted effort to boost social media usage this year has paid off for resort authorities with requests for public assistance often resulting in wanted suspects quickly being identified and apprehended

For example, on Monday around 11 a m , the Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) issued a call for public assistance about a couple who walked out on a restaurant check on the Boardwalk The Facebook post involved photos from security cameras of the suspects as well as contact information for the OCPD The post read, “The Ocean City Police Department is currently investigating a theft that occurred at a downtown restaurant located near 5th Street and the Boardwalk The theft happened on Sunday, August 13, 2023, around 3:09 p m Two individuals walked out on a check The first individual was described as an African American male, approximately 5’8, with a beard and he was wearing a Bob Marley tank top The second individual was described as an African American female wearing a black outfit and red hat with long black hair ” As of Tuesday morning, the suspects were still being sought

In recent months, there have been numerous situations when social media’s reach has resulted in individuals being recognized For instance, on Aug 7 at 1:48 p m , the OCPD released City Watch images of suspects wanted for a Boardwalk theft A little over four hours later, the post was updated to report the suspects were identified with the photos blacked out in the updated post

A similar, more high-profile instance when social media helped lead to suspects being identified came about earlier this month Four victims riding a city bus were

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Social media was used to identify the man in this picture who was wanted for allegedly stealing a wallet.