Fearing tips could get lost, sheriff halts Facebook comments

NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff's office has turned off public comments on its social media posts because authorities said too many people are reporting crimes there rather than calling 911 or submitting tips through the agency's website.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office has for years maintained popular accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, capitalizing on the popularity it gained from the A&E show “Live PD" and securing a copyright for the hashtag #9pmroutine, which is a nightly reminder for people to lock up their cars and houses, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

The agency has some 300,000 followers on Facebook and about 131,000 on Twitter, in a county with 583,000 residents.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Sheriff Chris Nocco said they will no longer allow public comment out of fear that the agency could miss “life-or-death" information.

“Social media was not designed for that purpose,” Sheriff Chris Nocco said the in the post. “To be clear, this was not a decision we take lightly."

The change was prompted after his three-member public information team began posting more social media notices about missing persons and runaway teens, Nocco said. These posts drew overwhelming comments from people reporting crimes and leaving tips in social media threads.

“However, with the continued growth in our county and the need to continue to provide resources to serve our growing population, there was not a possibility to hire the people that would be required to monitor our social media platforms on a consistent, 24/7 basis for 365 days a year,” he said.

Some criticized the decision before the comments were cut off, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

“If people weren’t comfortable using the other formats to leave tips before, they won’t be comfortable...