Pinterest is known as a place where people share recipes, crafts or fashion. Now mug shots are showing up on the social media site, says WHYY Radio in Philadelphia. A crime reporter at The Mercury in Pottstown, Pa., had the idea to start a gallery of mug shots of people wanted by the police. Pottstown Police Capt. F. Richard Drumheller says calls came in to his tip line right away.
“We’ve actually seen a 57 percent increase in [arrests], and we actually got more people based on our tips and our calls,” Drumheller says. Pottstown has a couple of dozen photos up at a time, all people with outstanding warrants — from DUI to theft to assault. Lauri Stevens, who does social media consulting for law enforcement, says Pinterest has a lot of potential. “This is a way to get all of those people out there all the time in front of more people,” she says. Women make up 80 percent of Pinterest users, so they’re especially likely to be exposed to the images.