(Information in the following story is from: Iowa City Press-Citizen, http://www.press-citizen.com/)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police officers in Iowa are finding ways to use social media tools to share information and connect better with the people they are trying to protect.

Iowa City police Officer Ashten Hayes tells the Iowa City Press-Citizen that when she was speaking at an elementary school recently, she took extra time to take pictures with the kids to post online.

Police in Iowa City, Coralville and at the University of Iowa all post on social media sites regularly and make use of Facebook, Twitter and Periscope.

University of Iowa police Community Outreach Officer Alton Poole says social media lets the department share serious information like pictures of suspects. But the department also uses it for light-hearted posts teasing Iowa State’s police and highlighting good deeds by officers.