Sarasota Police to tweet from the streets

A little bird is helping Sarasota Police spread their social-media wings.

The Sarasota Police Department (SPD) will offer a virtual ride-along for its Twitter followers with 'Tweet from the Beat' beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1, and ending at 2 a.m. the following day. Follow @SarasotaPD to ask questions and see updates during the event.

Partnership Policing and Communications Coordinator Genevieve Judge will report the action from Shift Commander Sgt. Ken Castro and Sgt. Rex Troche with tweets and pictures throughout the evening. The officers will cover ground throughout the entire city.

"My goal is to do it once a month if I can," Judge said.

SPD has also tapped into YouTube with public service announcements and behind-the-scenes videos to supplement its growing presence on Facebook and Twitter.

"It just starts a conversation," Judge said. "I try to tweet things out every morning, in the afternoons and on the weekend."