When Tabetha Magnuson learned the street where a man jumped her son was the site of multiple similar incidents, she posted on the Renton Crime and Safety Facebook page, warning others about the area.

As a mother of four children, Magnuson uses the page to learn more about what’s happening in different areas in Renton and make better choices and communicate with her neighbors regarding safety concerns in her neighborhood.

“Are those guns or fireworks in the highlands? Anyone know?” she posted on March 12.

When she sees that there have been break-ins reported in her area, she knows to stay extra vigilant and make sure her doors are locked.

Renton residents have increasingly turned to social media to discuss issues and incidents of crime on social media.

On the Ring Doorbell app — an application for property owners to monitor their Ring security devices — neighbors share questions regarding the sounds of potential gunshots, the faces of package thieves caught on camera, and reports of police sirens in the area.

On Facebook, over 14,500 Renton residents have joined the Renton Crime and Safety page since the page’s creation in 2019.

Magnuson said despite not believing everything she’s reading on the page, the page fills in for a void of speedy information in regards to crime and safety incidents.

“There is almost no information anytime something has happened,” Magnuson said. “I will go on to [look for] a news feed or something, and I don’t feel like it’s even out there, but I can find some of the information on what’s happening via [the Facebook page], and sometimes a little bit faster.”

Information ranges from reports of gunshots to missing pets to questions regarding purple lights on the freeway.

In addition to reporting incidents, commenters also debate issues surrounding crime and policing like vehicle pursuits and whether to call the police on a person using drugs in public.

In a call for comment on the Renton Crime and Safety page regarding the importance of the page to its users, admin Johanna Rasmussen said the page served as a platform for individual and community advocacy.

“As a community, we are beyond frustrated and tired of being victims while criminals run free,” Rasmussen commented.

Magnuson said a number of users “go a little over and beyond” with more extreme and volatile posts.

“Let em bleed out,” read a comment on one post in regards to a recent vehicle collision on March 8 involving juvenile passengers in a stolen Kia that resulted in critical injuries to three of the teenagers.

A comment on another post about 11th District legislators voting against House Bill 1363, which would expand the number of situations allowing police to pursue suspects, called for the “politicians … to be charged with treason.”

Magnuson said she tries not to engage with volatile comments.

“I think there’s people that love to … just get a rise out of others and to create a … toxic dialogue,” Magnuson said. “And then there’s others … that legitimately will remind them that this is supposed to be a page where we’re getting information.”

Magnuson believes the page helps assuage people’s worries regarding crime by providing them with information that isn’t readily available elsewhere.

“This page has been great for real-time updates on criminal activity to look out for, but I’d love to see us go a step further in learning how to prevent and address it on a bigger scale,” read another user’s post on the call for comment.