Newport Beach Police Among Most Followed Twitter Feeds

Tweets sent out by the Newport Beach Police Department reach about 5,000 followers, making @NewportBeachPD one of the most followed Twitter feeds among law enforcement agencies in the country.

The @NewportBeachPD Twitter handle is currently ranked 5th in the nation among law enforcement departments with 100-249 sworn officers, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police's Center For Social Media. As of Wednesday, there were 4,744 people following Newport Beach police on Twitter and the department hopes to garner more.

"Anybody who lives, works or visits Newport Beach, we would love to have them follow us on Twitter," Kathy Lowe, Newport Beach police spokeswoman, said.

The Twitter account, which is managed by Lowe, posts tweets through the department's Nixle notification system. According to Lowe, when information is posted on Nixle, it is also distributed through the department's Twitter and Facebook pages. Recent tweets from the NBPD include crime alerts, missing person information, traffic advisories, crime alerts and arrests.

"We recognize the importance of social media and communication with our citizens," Lowe said. "So we do try to use social media in a way to get our messages out.”

Lowe said @NewportBeachPD was launched about four years ago along with the department's Facebook page, which has been "liked" by 3,487 people.

Check out the Newport Beach Police Department's Twitter feed here.

Do you follow Newport Beach police on Twitter? Tell us what you think about the @NewportBeachPD Twitter feed in the comments below.

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