The Wisconsin DNR was alerted to a video posted on Facebook of illegal hunting activity. The video led to the first arrest for the Wisconsin DNR based on a Facebook posting. Read the full press release: Facebook case a first for DNR wardens.

There are three lessons for emergency response agencies and social media PIOs based on this article:

1) Understanding the technology. Wisconsin DNR wardens needed to have basic familiarity with social media and networking to understand that useful evidence was being delivered to them by a concerned citizen.

2) Outreach for violation reporting. Establishing a social networking presence gives the Wisconsin DNR and other agencies a venue to publicize crime prevention and reporting efforts.

3) Reminder that little goes unwitnessed. Most social networking users are leaving a long trail of their activities and relationships. The illegal hunting incident happened in 2007, but was not reported until 2008. Emergency responders posting on social networks – officially or unofficially, authorized or unauthorized – has a long shelf-life on the internet.

About The Author

Greg Friese has authored 45 articles for PIOSocialMediaTraining.com

Greg Friese, MS, NREMT-P is an author, podcaster, blogger, and advocate for emergency response agencies to use social media before, during, and after any incident. Greg is the Director of Education for CentreLearn Solutions, LLC. He is also the co-host of the EMSEduCast podcast and is a paramedic for a 911 agency in northeast Wisconsin

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