Your family and friends aren't the only ones on Facebook. Police departments across the state are using social media to inform the community and to solve crimes.

Meridian Township police hope the use of Facebook and Twitter keeps the community informed, prevents crime by sharing tips and alerts, and of course - helps to solve crimes.

The Meridian Township Police Department deals with a lot of shoplifters, and sometimes the only evidence from those crimes is security tape footage.

"So in the past what we've done is taken stills and tried to pass them around and see if anybody knew them," said Sgt. Andrew McCready. "Unfortunately, we didn't have very good luck with that so we decided to start putting them on social media."

The department has had much better luck using Facebook and Twitter. Since April, police have identified 10 to 15 shoplifters just using social media.

"We look at social media as a conversation," said McCready. "We're asking for information and once we've used that information to solve a crime or to take someone into custody, we try to give feedback."

That means updating their Facebook and Twitter followers when they do make an arrest. One woman turned herself in after seeing a photo police posted of her, and that got a positive response from the Facebook community. One user called it a "great example of how social media can benefit society." Other comments on the page thank the department for keeping people informed.

"There are people that disagree with putting people's pictures out there," McCready said. "There are people who like it and everywhere in between. But so far, we've pretty good feedback from the community."

McCready says using social media is another way to do more with less in tough economic times.

"We're losing police officers or not as many are hired," said McCready. "We're trying to use any tool we can to provide a level of service. I think for us personally this has helped us do that."

The Meridian Township Police Department says it will continue to use Facebook, Twitter, and its blog. The department has even recommended using social media to other law enforcement agencies, since it has been so successful in Meridian Township.

The Ingham and Jackson County Sheriff's departments, and Michigan State Police, are among the many agencies with their own Facebook pages.

The Lansing Police Department is also turning to the internet to help with crime. It has added a new crime reporting feature on its website where people can file police reports for non-emergencies. Those may include larcenies, malicious destruction of property, lost property, and harassment. To get a link, click on WILX's Hot Button.