Social Networking Could Land You in Jail

Law enforcement targets alleged lawbreakers who post their adventures online

24 June 2010

Law enforcement officers in Olympia, Washington are cruising social networking sites like YouTube to find evidence of potential criminal activity, such as off-roading on public lands.

Social networking websites such as Facebook or YouTube are filled with images of people exercising poor judgment in the real world and then compounding it, by posting those videos online.

Now, these self-incriminating Internet postings are helping cops like Larry Raedel fight crime on public land.

Cruising YouTube

Raedel, the police chief for Washington state forests, surfs over to YouTube and enters "4x4... off road... in Capitol Forest" into the search window.

Up pop dozens of short videos. They depict customized Jeeps, Toyotas and Broncos spinning their over-sized tires in the mud, scaling stumps, or driving down creek beds.

He clicks on one, and watches it for a moment. "They're going through water here which is habitat in some cases," he explains, pointing to the screen. "They're eroding the soils. Eventually, this may work its way down into a stream that may be fish-bearing and could cause some problems that way with erosion and habitat."

Making a case against illegal off-roading

Many public forests include designated trails for off-road vehicles, but this doesn't look like one. Blazing rogue trails is a misdemeanor and Raedel can also pursue a driver for civil damages.