Oneonta chief criticizes victims reporting crimes on Facebook [Video]

Here, in a small town of 7,000, there’s a growing trend in how Oneonta’s citizens report crime.“It’s astonishing that people would report that to a, to a social media without having reported that to us first,” Oneonta police Chief Charles Clifton said.Clifton added they are seeing more people vent on Facebook instead of calling their local crime fighters to investigate serious problems.“We had actually had a kidnapping, and we, I think that was discovered through a Facebook post,” Clifton said.Going the social media route gives the crooks a head start in hiding evidence, and Clifton adds revealing secret crime details to the world can hurt their case. “You’ve got to keep compartmentalize those things that are for the betterment and the overall betterment and outcome of the investigation,” Clifton said.The chief understands people’s hesitation about getting officially involved in an investigation and the detached ease that comes with typing a …