LIVING IN THE NEW WORLD OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

Madison Police Hold 1st Community Meeting

It is not just for younger people anymore; the world of social networking is exploding, and the Madison Police Department (MPD) is looking to help educate residents about the good, the bad, and the ugly of the ever-changing electronic age. Next Tuesday night, Sgt. June Groehler will help lead a community discussion about Facebook, My Space, text messaging, cell phones, and the Internet. This meeting will take place at the Madison East District, 809 South Thompson Road, at 7:00 p.m. Earlier in the day MPD officers will meet with Lafollette High School staff on the same topics. " This is an effort to build collaborative partnerships between our educators, parents, and the community about the benefits and problems with social networking, the Internet, and cell phones," said Sgt. Groehler. In addition, she said, "We hope to develop problem solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues regarding the rapid growth of new technology and electronic social interactions." If the program is well received, the MPD will look to replicate it at other public meetings to be held in other police districts.