Mayor Vaughn: I don’t think either of one you are familiar with our problems.
Hooper: I think that I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this particular problem until it swims up and BITES YOU ON THE ASS!
That exchange and the photo are of course from the film “Jaws“. This scene in particular popped into my head the other day as I was reading the news about social media causing a stir in the town of Yarmouth on Cape Cod.[more…]
For the handful of you who aren’t familiar with the the film “Jaws“, the resort island of Amity (filmed on Maratha’s Vineyard) is plagued by a great white shark attacking swimmers. The Chief of Police is aided in attempting to kill the shark by a marine biologist and a local salty sea captain. The exchange above is a scene in which after numerous attacks, Chief Brody wants to shut down the beaches prior to the Fourth of July holiday but is rebuffed by Mayor Vaughn. The mayor is primarily concerned over lost tourist dollars if there’s a panic due to the Chief’s proposal.
As with many local, state and federal law enforcement agencies the Yarmouth Police Department has embraced using social media as a means of informing the community about local happenings. These updates include posting photos to their Facebook account, Tweets regarding upcoming road races, and press releases about local crime. There’s the rub. A local businessman was quoted in the Cape Cod Times saying, “Yarmouth is a brand. They’re sending things out every day that are absolutely negative to the town’s image.” That’s a bit of hypebole right there.
I sympathize with local business leaders that are afraid that their Rockwellian image may be tarnished. I doubt though that most people today are naive enough to think that crime is altogether absent on Cape Cod however. Unfortunately there is crime everywhere (looking at you Kennebunk).
In my opinion, the Yarmouth Police is doing social media very, very well. They’re utilizing social media as a means to inform the community in an immediate fashion where they congregate. Informing the public at large about crime and danger is transparency and ought to be applauded. Perhaps if more people in the community knew of what was occurring in they’re own town, they could join forces with local law enforcement to address these issues.
What the business leaders of Yarmouth and elsewhere need to acknowledge is that social media is pervasive and only growing. Police blotters tucked away on page six of the local newspaper are thing of the past. For that matter, most local papers are online now. Businesses can themselves embrace social media to showcase the positives of their community within their own social accounts whether it be Twitter, Facebook or even FourSquare to promote their business.
Yarmouth is beautiful and as a Massachusetts native, when I think of Yarmouth, the first thing that comes to mind is Salt Water Taffy and the Bass River. So, kudos the Yarmouth PD. I’ll make sure to check out your Tweets before our next trip down to the Cape.
