Is anyone else out there amazed by just how well the Syracuse Police Department has put Facebook to work? We’ll be honest: when the department launched its own Facebook page in January, we expected a few dry status updates a month and some positive PR here and there, at most. But we’ve seen so much more from the department, we can’t help but say so. Like links to news stories, sections for submitting anonymous tips and checking active warrants (they link users to the department’s website at syracusepolice.org), photos from awards ceremonies and the department throughout the years, event updates, and links to related sites, like the NY sex offender registry. We even learned, thanks to the SPD Facebook presence, that the department offers a free personal property registry on their site to log descriptions, serial numbers and photos of your valuables in case they are stolen or destroyed. Did you know that service was available to you through the SPD website? We don’t think we’re glorifying this decision by the police when we say that the Facebook page is tangible evidence that the department is making good on its promise to reach out to the community and form a relationship with Syracuse residents that has been damaged for too long. People join and spend hours digging through sites like Facebook because they help us connect with other people. No, it’s not the same as a one-on-one conversation over a cup of coffee, but it is a valuable connection just the same, and one that the younger generation appreciates and puts an incredible amount of stock into. Giving the department a personality that we can all access and relate to is invaluable, particularly now, when a sense of unity is something for which we all seem to be grasping. Truth be told, our favorite update so far has been the photo of Det. Pete Payne clearing about two feet of snow off his car with a push broom. This is how you connect with the community. Well done, SPD. We appreciate the effort, and it’s clear we are not alone.