Tweeting on the street

POST FALLS - Post Falls Police will go social Friday night.

Chief Scot Haug and a police department volunteer will hit the streets and give residents regular updates via Twitter and Facebook from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. on what's happening during the shift.

Residents are invited to chime in or ask questions during the "Tweet-along" or virtual ride-along.

"The purpose is to add transparency to the police department," Haug said. "This gives the public an opportunity to see what type of calls its police department responds to and the call load here in our community."

"Depending on the calls we get, it may not be too exciting. But, if it gets busy, we'll be updating often. We may be able to do some instant chatting, depending on how busy it gets. We'll be as responsive as we can on two-way conversations."

To tap into the action, go to www.postfallspolice.com. PFPD has Facebook and Twitter icons on its front page.

Those interested must have Facebook or Twitter accounts, but they don't have to become friends with the police department to receive updates during the event.

"Not everyone has the ability to come in and ride along with an officer, so we thought this would be a good way to get the information out," Haug said. "For anyone interested, they can sit and watch from the comfort of their own home."

Haug also plans to launch 'Coffee with a Cop' in mid-May, date to be determined, at a coffee shop or restaurant as a way to chat with residents or answer questions about public safety matters.

"We're trying to be more accessible as some people may not want to come to the police department," Haug said. "We'll have no agenda at these and people can come and go as they want."

If the coffee session or Tweet-along are popular, the police department may hold them sporadically.