Miami Beach Police Chief Takes Twitterverse by Storm

MIAMI BEACH, FL —Despite "a perfect day to be out on the boat in Miami Beach," as the city tweeted on Friday, Police Chief Daniel Oates took social media by storm with a little help from his friends in Miami law enforcement.

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Oates issued his first tweet on Thursday morning, saying: "I am taking the plunge and joining Twitter. Looking forward to putting out good news and important messages about great work of MBPD."

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But then came a challenge of sorts from Miami-Dade Police Director Juan Perez, who invited the community to help Oates break 100 Twitter followers by noon on Friday.

"@MBPDChiefOates @MiamiBeachPD let's see if we can get you 100 followers by Friday at noon. @MiamiDadePD can help out," offered the county's top law enforcement officer.

As of noon Friday, the annals of social media will forever reflect that the chief had indeed amassed 114 followers — 14 more than the goal set by Perez for his friend.

By noon, Oates had already sent out his first six tweets.

In response to one from Miami Beach City Manager Jimmy Morales who is no stranger to social media, Oates penned: "We'll see how this whole Twitter social media thing works out."

Photo courtesy of Miami Beach Police Department