Cold case detectives routinely use new technology and new perspectives to solve old crimes. But Det. Sgt. Brian Borg of the Toronto Police is taking that notion one step further by using Twitter to ask the public for help on his cold case files.

Each day, Borg uses his new @torontocoldcase account to tweet details of cold case files for crimes committed on that day in years past, stretching back more than nine decades. Those details often come with a direct plea: “Help me.”

Borg said it’s a way to get around standard news conferences and keep old cold cases in the public eye by doing it himself.

“Social media is a way for police – it’s a way for me – to make that direct connection to people, without using traditional media,” Borg told CTVNews.ca in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

It also lets him throw the spotlight on each one of his 553 unsolved criminal cases that stretch all the way back to 1921. Toronto police have nearly an 80 per cent solve rate on crimes in that time, Borg said. But there’s always room to do better.

“The cases that I remember are not the ones I solve. The ones I remember are the ones I didn’t," he said.

“We invest a lot of resources into solving serious crimes like murders. It’s not just a coincidence that a case goes unsolved. The reason it goes unsolved is the evidence just isn’t there.”

That’s where Borg hopes the public will come in and hopefully provide tips that will help solve some of Toronto’s outstanding murder cases.

“Is it worth the effort and taking the chance? One hundred per cent,” he said.

Borg said he hasn’t received any direct tips yet since starting the Twitter account on May 8, but he’s seen plenty of enthusiasm and many persuasive appeals from retweeters.

“I read a lot of sincerity in there, a lot of desire to help,” he said.

“Whether or not you have information in a case or you’re simply just retweeting a message, in my opinion, you’re helping.”

Borg, a 33-year veteran with Toronto Police, started the @torontocoldcase Twitter account in a social media workshop for police a few weeks ago. His first tweet got plenty of recognition – nearly 400 retweets – so he embraced the idea and started tweeting regularly.

Borg’s first cold case tweet was one of his own: A bulletin for outstanding murder suspect Reshane Hayles Wilson. Hayles Wilson was part of Borg’s last homicide case in January 2014, before he took over the cold case squad.

Borg took up regular cold case tweeting on May 9, and has been sending out case details ever since.


Twitter is nothing new to law enforcement. Various police forces use Twitter to make announcements and even catch criminals, but tweeting cold cases seems to be something new.

Borg said he’s in uncharted territory here, with no previous research or advice to fall back on.

“This is a learning tool for us, and we’re going to make mistakes along the way,” he said.

And while Borg hasn’t ruled out using other social media platforms in the future, he said he wants to focus on mastering the Twitterverse first.

“I think for us to do this, we have to do it in baby steps,” he said.

In the end, Twitter is simply another tool for Borg to add to his law enforcement arsenal. If it leads to another family getting a phone call or a knock on the door to say their loved one’s killer has been captured, then it will be worth it, Borg said.

“That’s my job,” he said. “And we’ll do whatever we can to try to get those answers for those families.”