Facebook Justice

Using the social network — not law enforcement — to catch and shame thieves.

I have a handful of Facebook friends I’ve never met in person.

For one reason or another, I accept their friend requests and after I do, I’m in for a few months of reading posts I can’t relate to, written by people I don’t know.

After awhile, I inevitably delete them from my friends list, wondering why I accepted them the first place.

But in May, one stranger posted something intriguing: a photo of his stolen truck.

A few days later, he posted the identity of the person he thought stole it. And one day after that, he posted that he found it.

It was like seeing modern vigilante justice at work.

Posts like this are pretty common on Facebook. One page, “Pueblo Thieves,” is dedicated to posting photos of people stealing things from retail stores in Pueblo. In addition to the photos, the page accepts submissions from people who have had things stolen from them.

The owner of the page, who stopped responding to my questions via Facebook and declined to give me his or her name, said Pueblo Thieves sees about 30 submissions per week.

“We’re on while they’re in the store,” the owner said.

The comments sections, like those found in any other place on the internet, often turn into full-out wars. But between insults, commenters sometimes talk about the page itself.

“I’m pretty sure this is just as illegal as the crimes you are calling out,” one commenter wrote. “Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty, you stupid f — -s?”

Later, he added, “So the news has to call them suspects, but somehow Facebook is above the law?”

That’s true. As journalists, we’re taught to avoid judgment before a trial by using phrases like “accused” and “alleged” in crime stories.

But after a long argument between page visitors, the page administrator replied, “We post photos of these thieves so other retailers can be aware of what’s going on and you’re entitled to your opinion.”

The definition of a vigilante, according to Cornell University’s legal dictionary, is “someone who personally claims to enforce law and order, but lacks legal authority to do so. Vigilantes operate by using actual or threatened force, and are distinguished from people who simply watch out for criminal behavior and report it to the police.”

The Pueblo Thieves owner said law enforcement intervenes, sometimes, but the intention of the page is mostly centered on keeping people aware of local thieves. When the page posts photos, they’re often accompanied by captions, including “This lady doesn’t think ‘you have to pay for your items’ applies to her!!!!!’”

One caption read, “These two scumbags ran out with a cart but all they got was tissue.. Exactly what they needed.. Two pieces of s&%&!!!”

Sometimes, though rarely, they include locations of the thefts. Arguably, they could be considered vigilantes.

Still, the administrator said the page keeps people aware of theft.

“It also keeps the public aware of the people who steal and also keeps other retail stores aware,” the owner said.

The page also hears from the thieves themselves, as well as their families.

“They just want the family members who are stealing, and end up on our page, to get help (and) get clean off drugs because (the) majority of people that end up on our page are on drugs according to the public,” the owner wrote. “Managers, associates (and) loss prevention are fed up!”

Before my Facebook friend found his truck, his posts were flooded with comments. One person asked him why he didn’t report the truck to the police. He said he did, but the Pueblo Police Department didn’t have enough units to send out.

Another person said he experienced the same thing, and only found his truck after posting about it on Facebook.

For the past few years, the police department has been battling a problem with staffing. PULP wrote in April that the department is 32 officers shy of an ideal staffing rate. A future goal is to increase the department from 175 officers to more than 207.

But until that happens, or people stop stealing, online vigilante justice might be a new normal.