Live-crime update: Are police scanner social media users more fearful of violent crime?

Abstract

The article examines the relationship between real-time crime updates and fear of violent crime among a sample of college students from multiple universities. Social media is a type of media source that has been examined in varied criminological research. Recent studies have begun to look at specific crime-related posts/Tweets and their significance on the perception of crime. As part of the social media trend, private individuals and community members have begun to utilize police scanners through various social media platforms to inform them of real-time crime updates occurring within their neighborhoods. Social media group(s) rely on private citizens listening to police dispatches and distributing the information via social media (Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), etc.). Information such as traffic accidents, home invasions, and shootings are all shared in real time. This study analyzes survey data (Qualtrics) from five universities in the West, Midwest, and Southwest USA. Ordinary least squares regression is used to examine the effect on fear of violent crime of various demographic and contextual factors. The findings indicate that members of police scanner groups via social media platforms have an elevated fear of violent crime among college students. Female and minority students had a higher fear of violent crime. In addition, students who have been victimized and those who perceive higher community disorder had increased levels of fear of violent crime. The current literature on fear of violent crime does not account for the utilization of various social media platforms to inform private citizens and community members of real-time crime updates. Thus, the article contributes to the literature by examining the effect of police scanner group membership on fear of violent crime among college students.