Sirens heard moving through Nikiski last night lit Facebook up as residents posted the location of the sirens and wondered about their presence.
Dispatchers didn’t connect the sirens with any serious calls in Nikiski, and Megan Peters said the incident highlights the “two-edged” sword of social media…
Peters: “It can be good to let people know where Troopers are dealing with an active situation, so then people can avoid the area and know to stay away. There are times when it could potentially be an officer safety issue. One of the dangerous with it, too, is that rumors spread like wildfire, and something that might appear to be one thing is not nearly as bad as what it sounds like from all the back and forth going on on Facebook. Information sometimes seems a lot more severe up front and then you find out later it’s really a much more calm situation than was originally reported.”
Peters said Troopers reach out to the local media and go door to door or reverse call 911 when residents need to know to stay away from an active incident. Otherwise, she encouraged residents to use Facebook thoughtfully, sensitive to Trooper safety and reading comments “with a grain of salt.”