This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
You might anyway, but now the Salt Lake City police would like you to use the hashtag #SpeedWatchSLC when you tweet your concerns about problem areas. Tweet the location and whatever detail you can, but providing the drivers' license plates is up to you, the department tweeted Sunday.
Mind, the police do not monitor their Twitter feed for crimes in progress — that is not what the hashtag is for, the department emphasized. The hashtag is only to report a concern. As ever, crimes in progress should be reported over the phone.
The police were inspired to create the hashtag after Salt Lake City resident Justin Bagley tweeted Sunday evening about cars speeding along a four-block stretch of 200 East.
I'm just going to start throwing bricks at cars doing 50 mph down 200 e. I've never seen a single car pulled over. 900s-1300s) @slcpd #awful
— Justin Bagley (@jdbaggins) March 10, 2014So the police made the hashtag and asked Bagley to retweet its announcement if he liked it. (He did)
Before long, at least one other Twitter user jumped on board.
@slcpd @slcpd: #SpeedWatchSLC about 1600 e Michigan. Almost every morning commuter cut through neighborhood heading east to university
— EMc (@EMc_SLC) March 10, 2014People can still tell the Salt Lake City police about traffic concerns the usual way: calling 801-799-3000. People can also email slcpdmotor@slcgov.com about the nature of the problem, the address and general time it occurs, and your phone number or email if you want a response from an officer. Any emergency, of course, should be reported by dialing 911.
The Salt Lake City police actually keep an online map of the traffic squad's enforcement based on citizen complaints, the vast majority of which are on the city's east side. As of Sunday evening, the map only shows last year's crackdowns.
— Michael McFall
Twitter: @mikeypanda