Police Advice Video — Traffic Stop Officer Drops Facebook Warning, How Law Enforcement Uses Social Media To Investigate You

Police advice usually comes free, but generally, you wouldn’t think it’d be within a traffic stop — and about Facebook posts, no less. However, this officer’s advice could prove invaluable to your future. Be careful what you post, because police are really watching.

Just when you’d think it was okay to post or re-post other people’s statuses, it might draw more attention to you, from police, than you realize. In the following video, you’ll hear one police’s advice about what you should avoid sharing or opening — not because you lack the freedom, but because you’d stay clear from police and investigative radar. According to this police officer’s advice, you could be under investigation right now and not know it.

“You advertise, on Facebook, guns, drugs [whatever drugs], [or] underage alcohol [simulates door knock]…knock at your door. What’s on there should [only] be on there, of yourself, because you can get ideas. [When] you get into a little trouble, the first thing the media’s going to do is go to your Facebook. That image that you have of yourself, does it match what you’re being accused with? Respectable images of yourself.

“Young ladies that you may know, I would strong advise, don’t go on there half-naked. Put you some clothes on…”

https://www.facebook.com/onefiveent/videos/1141927482491140/

The police officer’s advice wasn’t finished at this point. It gets worse. The police officer noted that he had a little more insight to offer in regard to Facebook posts. This advice deals with anything and everything that deals with minors. As you know, there are several posts involving memes and kids on Facebook. Well, this police says that it might be wise not to share them from now on.

“If someone sends you a picture from their phone to your Facebook of a minor, [someone] that’s under age, [who’s] inappropriately dressed…you’re setting yourself up for federal prison. If you forward the picture to somebody else, they can charge you with exploitation. So, if one of your partners try to send you a photo — it can be male or female… that’s inappropriately dressed, showing what they shouldn’t be showing — you need to say ‘nah, Bro. Don’t send me that.’ Be very blunt, ‘don’t send me that!’

“You get it and open it, you don’t know if there could be an investigation going on or not. They can track it, whoever send it to, and every last one of you would be charged with exploitation. I ain’t going to tell you what that code is. But you’ll have a number on your driver’s license, and we [police] will know what it means. Don’t set yourself up.”

Newsday affirms the police officer’s advice with a story from recent news. A few days ago, an Ohio man was arrested shortly after posting a video to his own Facebook page. According to the source, Dustin Rittgers uploaded a 12-second “drinking and driving” video to his wall on Monday.

Ohio man who drank while… – #Dustin_Rittgers #Hamilton_Township #Teylor_Wise – https://t.co/SEGZHQND3M pic.twitter.com/GmM4HXnvgB

— shopall (@Shopall3) December 30, 2015

The news source states that someone tipped police officers after the video’s upload. Later that day, in south Columbus, Dustin Rittgers was stopped by authorities.

“The driver, Dustin Rittgers, 28, pleaded not guilty Tuesday in Franklin County Municipal Court on five misdemeanor charges, including operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs and having an open container in a vehicle.”

However, the report also states that this isn’t the first time that Rittgers has been in trouble for impaired driving. He was stopped by police in September 2014 for a similar offense and pleaded guilty earlier this year.

Although this incident immediately happened due to a police tip, this officer’s advice shows that police are utilizing social media to crack down on individuals who may be engaging in criminal activity — even without the users’ knowledge.

While it’s your choice to accept or avoid this advice, you’ve heard it from the source — live on video. Will you be more cautious of your Facebook posts now? Or does this police officer’s advice not change anything? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section. And share this article so others can prevent themselves from criminal charges for sharing certain viral posts.

[Image via Facebook]