Oneida City Police Try Social Media To Find Illegal Drugs

Over the weekend Oneida City Police drew a lot of attention for a Facebook post asking where to find drugs in the city.

In a new effort to crack down on drug abuse and sales in Oneida the city's police are taking a page from other law enforcement agencies and going directly to the public.

The Facebook post - which has been taken down by Facebook said:

'Does anyone in Oneida know where we can buy any drugs? (asking for a friend) Hit us up at (315) 363-2323 or our other digits at (315)363-9111 #NotACop"

Investigator Mike Burgess - who is responsible for the post spoke to CNYCentral.com about the idea, saying it is a way to humanize the police.

"The amount of community engagement was paramount compared to the typical in the past, hey if you have information contact us," Burgess said.

In fact, Burgess said that dozens of tips on drug crime came in to the department after the post went up just before the weekend, and it was one of the most successful ideas they have used to get drug tips.

"We were able to obtain useful information, so I don't think we did anything wrong," Burgess said.

What do you think of the idea?

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