Want to know where police are watching for leadfoot drivers? Is your dog lost? Need an update on human bones discovered in the woods?

To foster more interaction with the public, the Federal Way Police Department started a Facebook page last month.

So far, the posts share a range of bulletins including safety tips, a community forum with the police chief, and specific locations for traffic enforcement.

Police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock hopes the page can serve as a tool for both education and fighting crime. Posting the locations of traffic enforcement, for example, may help encourage voluntary compliance and ultimately lead to safer driving in Federal Way, she said.

“Our focus is really to communicate directly with the public,” she said, adding that the page will also highlight the human side of the police department. “We’re just looking to keep them informed.”

Schrock said Federal Way police have five vacancies in the department, and that the Facebook page could help attract new officers.

“Social media is a great avenue to attract recruits,” she said, adding that the department plans to fill those vacancies this year.

Other local law enforcement agencies utilize the social media universe. In South King County, the Kent department joined in 2010, and Auburn police signed up in February.

The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) established its Facebook page in 2011. Recent posts by KCSO include kudos for a deputy’s achievement, a link to its online blotter, and news about a successful search that recovered guns, stolen property and gang paraphernalia. Last week, KCSO posted photos of Sheriff John Urquhart at South Lake Union Park during the annual Polar Bear Plunge.

Learn more

Check out the Federal Way Police Department’s Facebook page at facebook.com/FedWayPD.