Go On 'Virtual Ride-Along' with Bethlehem Police

Tweeters can go on a virtual ride-along with Bethlehem Police Sgt. Bob Urban during a first-of-its-kind Global Tweet-a-Thon on Friday.

More than 150 police agencies in eight countries have signed on to participate, with officers “tweeting their experiences while working the streets of their communities,” according to a post in the Bethlehem Police Blog.

The department, with a Twitter handle of @BethlehemPolice, is inviting followers to “read what we are doing, ask questions, and experience a day in the life of an officer in Bethlehem.” To follow the posts and post questions and responses, you will need to use the hashtag #poltwt.

The department has more than 2,000 followers on Twitter. It also maintains a blog that averages about 20,000 hits per month. Bethlehem police have been using social media as part of a community policing strategy since 2011.

“Our department has been participating in block watch meetings for twenty years and more,” it says in its most recent blog post. “Those meetings, which still occur, are held monthly and may reach a few to a few dozen participants. With our social media tools, we can reach thousands on a daily basis which provides a much more robust model to speak, and listen to our community.”