Oxford Police Department of Oxford, Mississippi Joins Facebook

Facebook has a new member. According to "The Oxford Eagle," the Oxford Police Department of Oxford, Mississippi recently created its own Facebook page. In the short span of two weeks, the page has gathered almost 800 people as fans.

Oxford has a population of about 10,000 city residents, and there are approximately 10,000 county residents in the surrounding area. Located in the center of Oxford, the University of Mississippi has an average of 15,000 students enrolled. Oxford also hosts the Double December Festival each spring, the Faulkner Conference, University sporting events, and many other activities which bring in a number of visitors. Needless to say, many times the OPD can have their hands full.

Police Chief Mike Martin reported that the department had seen the good results of other departments using the popular site and thought it might be a worthwhile idea for the OPD. He felt this would increase interaction with the citizens of Oxford, as well as a great way to get out important information quickly for the entire Oxford area.

Information will be updated on a daily basis with reports concerning crime in the area, along with newsworthy alerts about possible scam artists in the area. Each report posted on the Facebook page lists number of calls made by police, number of accidents in the area, and other useful information for the public, such as locations of reported burglaries or break-ins, alerting others of the potential for further crime in their neighborhood.

OPD has not yet signed up for MySpace or Twitter yet. According to Chief Martin, "One step at a time."

In addition to listing information for the past 24 hours, a little Southern friendly conversation is added to the listings. One such example was when snow was a possibility in the area, the following comment was added: "Looks like we dodged the snow bullet one more time. Makes us happy, but I'm sure the kids are disappointed!"

OPD is hopeful that their fan base will continue to grow, and make this a new opportunity for the police and the residents of Oxford to work hand-in-hand in helping to make Oxford a safer place for all.

The access for Oxford Police Department's Facebook page is located here .

Sources:

"The Oxford Eagle" Newspaper, Oxford, MS
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#!/pages/Oxford-MS-Police-Department/276424854506?ref=mf