Someone will probably try to get a new flat-screen television without paying for it. Someone else will get so fed up with a visiting relative that punches will fly. Another person will get behind the wheel after drinking too much with the turkey dinner.
These will likely be just some of the calls police deal with on Black Friday. And this year, the Dunwoody Police Department plans to tell you about all of it. The department plans to use social media to Tweet every emergency call it receives.
“It’s our way of interacting and engaging the public and letting them know what we deal with on a daily basis,” Officer Tim Fecht told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Those jokes about officers sitting around eating doughnuts? It’s just not true, especially on the day after Thanksgiving.
“He’s not eating, he’s doing paperwork because we’ve had 16 accidents on 285 today,” Fecht said.
Fecht said the department tweeted its calls for 24 hours in April 2011 and got a positive response from the community. This time, Fecht estimates officers could respond to 150 emergency calls on Black Friday.
So what if someone faints after finding a great bargain at Perimeter Mall? Don’t worry, Fecht says. Emergency crews will be on the way as soon as the 911 call is placed. Shift supervisors won’t be tweeting until every call has been handled.
“We’re doing this with the public’s safety in mind and our safety in mind,” Fecht said. “It’s just to show people how much we’re actually doing.”
If you want to keep track of all the action, follow @DunwoodyPolice on Twitter. Follow the hashtag #dpdcalls for all the details.
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