Social Studies Lesson Plan

Overview:The social networking site MySpace may be the newest tool for law enforcement officers. When an Arkansas bank robber didn’t bother to hide his face very well, Fort Smith police Sgt. Jarrard Copeland set up a profile for him, using photos from a Feb. 22 robbery and the request to “meet more bank tellers.” This isn’t a new concept either – other police departments have used this approach, too.

Suggested time allotment: Students can research online and through interviews for approximately a week. Then they need to prepare a presentation about the situation.

Objectives

Students will:

1. Collect background information police across the country using MySpace to catch criminals..
2. Interview local law enforcement officials to see if they have done this. If so, find out the details, including how many cases have used this, success, etc.
3. Debate the pros and cons of using this rather unorthodox method. Does this allow citizens to help and catch criminals faster or does it result in false leads and wasted time in cases? Is it too sneaky a way for police to use?
4. Decide if the local policy needs to be changed. If so, develop a strategic plan to encourage the department to make the changes.
a. Create a better policy
b. Find out who needs to see and approve such changes
c. Arrange to meet with this person or group.
d. Present the group’s views.

Curriculum Standards from the National Council for the Social Studies: Thematic Strands, from “Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.”
• VI — Power, authority and governance. Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance…. High school students develop their abilities in the use of abstract principles. They study the various systems that have been developed over the centuries to allocate and employ power and authority in the governing process. At every level, learners should have opportunities to apply their knowledge and skills to and participate in the workings of the various levels of power, authority, and governance

Resources and materials:
Web sites with information:
• Read about the Arkansas situation in the Associated Press article on the Yahoo news site and elsewhere: “Police try MySpace to nab bank robber,” but Jon Gambrell, March 2, 2007.
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• Read about another situation like this: “Police Using MySpace to Catch Criminals,” Aug. 7, 2006, on the Web site for Fox Carolina.
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• And another similar set-up is near Boston. “Police Department’s Web site put up on MySpace ran on The Boston Channel. Com/MCVB-TV Sept. 29, 2006..
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•MySpace a statement about privacy that includes a line about disclosures to a “third party” to respond to a subpoena.
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