"It's a one-stop shop," he said.
Officer Steven Sakadales has been running the page, which started when the department wanted to revamp its website but thought that a Facebook page might make it easier to get information to the community, Tyler said.
"You want to put someone in there that's enthusiastic and wants to see it work," he said. "He does a really good job with it."
Taneytown police won't be tweeting any time soon, though, Tyler said. Making Facebook the hub for all news and information to come out of the department seems to be working fine.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Office has had a Facebook page for years, but it was originally only used for recruitment purposes, according to spokesman Cpl. Jonathan Light.
In recent years, the office decided to use the page proactively to keep citizens informed by posting press releases and basic information, Light said.
A Twitter account soon followed after the Howard County Police Department used the medium so effectively to keep the public and media informed during last year's shooting at the Mall in Columbia, according to Light.
"Putting the news release out after the fact is great, but if we can give updates [that's helpful]," he said.
During the bomb threat incident at Winters Mill High School in late January, Light said he used Twitter to give periodic updates.
Light said he tries to avoid making identical posts on both Facebook and Twitter and looks at other agencies, such as Howard County, for examples.
"We're still developing and we're certainly learning how to manage both [accounts] differently," he said.
Light also said he discourages citizens from reporting crimes through Facebook and also polices the comments on posts to make sure they stay on topic and appropriate. Crimes and other concerns should be reported through 911 or contacting the sheriff's office directly to ensure prompt attention.
The Sykesville Police Department Facebook page existed prior to Chief Michael Spaulding taking office last May, but was dormant until recently.
Spaulding has revived the page, including posting a current staff picture and asking residents to like and share the page to spread the word.
Because Sykesville is such a small department, there is no public information officer.
"I'm the office of media communications," Spaulding said.
Spaulding has access to the Facebook page and his administrative assistant will likely have access soon too. He envisions using the page as a platform to update the public regarding newsworthy events and issues, as well as seeking feedback and information from citizens.
"It's another avenue," he said.
Someone from the police department or the town will keep an eye on the page in case comments are made that require police action, according to Spaulding.
As far as Twitter, Spaulding said has no plans to tweet any time soon.
"One step at a time," he said.
The Town of Hampstead MD Facebook page is the hub for all town news and announcements, including information from the police department, according to Chief Ken Meekins.
"We don't have the personnel to dedicate to keeping up with a Twitter account or a Facebook page," he said.
Meekins said the department shares employment opportunities, promotions, awards and events by coordinating with the town, but doesn't share breaking news or lookouts that way, primarily because it is not often necessary.
If a major event were to occur and the Hampstead Police would need to broadcast information quickly, Meekins said he would contact the Carroll County Sheriff's Office for assistance spreading the word.
Manchester Police similarly use the Town of Manchester MD Facebook page to share information, but Chief John Hess said he hopes to launch a police department page in the future.
Hess said transparency has been a goal of his since being sworn in as chief in November 2013, and he doesn't want to sweep crimes under the rug.
"Even if I have a theft problem, I'm not going to hide it," he said.
When he came to Carroll County, Hess said he considered several ways to effectively communicate with the public, including social media.
Though he was used to Twitter being the popular medium to get information out quickly from his time in Baltimore City, Hess said citizen feedback indicated that Twitter was not as popular in Manchester as Facebook.
"It seems like Facebook is the best avenue," he said.
The Westminster Police Department has eschewed the use of social media thus far due to a lack of manpower to make meaningful use of it, Chief Jeff Spaulding said.
"When you start one, you've got to maintain it," he said.
Westminster had a dedicated public information officer in the past, but the position was lost due to budget cuts, Spaulding said. Duties such as drafting and sending press releases have since been spread among command staff.
"It would be a great future goal, it just would require additional resources," he said.
Similarly, Lt. Patrick McCrory, commander of the Maryland State Police Westminster Barrack, said there is no social media presence for the Carroll County barrack, but the state police organization is active on Facebook and Twitter (@MDSP).
"Right now, the only Twitter account is pretty much the headquarters account," spokesman Greg Shipley said.
McCrory said some barracks have their own Facebook page, but it requires finding a person to maintain it. Any human interest story or breaking news that the Westminster barrack wants to share, he said, can be sent to the Office of Media Relations.
©2015 the Carroll County Times (Westminster, Md.) Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
