Report: Baltimore City Police Reverse Course On Social Media Policy

City residents following the Baltimore City Police Department's Twitter account will continue to get updates on shootings and violent crimes after the department announced it would not implement a revised social media policy.

The department initially stated that it would no longer transmit information on all shooting incidents. On Monday, Jack Papp, chief spokesman of the department, initially told The Baltimore Sun that the department considered making the change in order to prevent spreading misinformation.

"The department is not going to tweet out every time a drug dealer shoots another criminal in the leg for nonpayment, i.e. criminal-on-criminal crime that we know," Papp told the paper. "We will still tweet out instances where nonfatal shootings involve citizens, public safety issues, etc. in real time, as well as homicides."

The move sparked criticism from some in Baltimore.

Baltimore City Councilman Brandon Scott told WBAL television that the revised policy concerns him because the account provides important public safety information.

"From crime trends to the burglaries, it's who we're looking for, what we're looking for, when we're looking for them, and what to look out for in your neighborhood. If the citizens are more informed, they're safer," Scott told the station.

Papp  later told the Baltimore Sun late Monday that the department heard the public criticisms and is not going to implement the revised policy.