Many of those agencies have boosted their social media presence significantly within the last two to three years, said Nancy Kolb, a senior program manager for the IACP.

MSN: Police embrace emerging social media tool

"I think there was some initial hesitancy due to safety and security reasons and because some new fads in technology don't always take hold, " said Kolb, adding that the IACP established its Center for Social Media in 2009 after many police chiefs sought guidance on how to incorporate the technology into their departments.

MSN: Police embrace emerging social media tool