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Be careful who you identify on police department social media accounts

You could wind up in serious legal trouble, if you're wrong or right.

MAYODAN, N.C. — Police departments around the country use Facebook pages to help identify suspects.

But Mayodan’s police department has added an interesting addition to their posts.

It says not to identify any of the suspects on Facebook because “You may be held liable or become part of a criminal investigation." We called the Mayodan police department to find out why.

A lieutenant told us two things could potentially happen when you post that name. And you could run into problems if you've got the wrong person or the right person.

If you're right, you could be subpoenaed to come testify during a case or asked to talk to investigators. You could be asked what you know…and how you know it.

If you're wrong, anything posted on that page is public record. You could get sued, and the evidence is available for anyone with an internet connection to see.

And people get it wrong often. The lieutenant we spoke with said three people called regarding a recent crime and two of them identified the wrong person. So just call the Crimestoppers tip line or the police department themselves. Those aren't considered public record 

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