Snap Inc. hosted its fourth annual U.S. Law Enforcement Summit on December 11, drawing more than 6,500 registered law enforcement officials from local, state, and federal agencies to learn about the platform’s safety initiatives and investigative support capabilities.

During the two-hour event, CEO Evan Spiegel outlined Snapchat’s commitment to law enforcement collaboration while company representatives detailed recent platform safety enhancements and operational resources.

The company has expanded its Safety Operations division, which includes Trust and Safety and Law Enforcement Operations (LEO) teams. The Trust and Safety team, staffed by former members of law enforcement, government, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, employs machine learning technology to detect illicit content. The LEO team handles legal requests and emergency data disclosures while primarily liaising with law enforcement agencies.

Over the past five years, Snap reports its Law Enforcement Operations team has tripled in size, while the Trust and Safety team has grown by approximately 150%. These teams now operate globally on a 24/7 basis.

New safety features announced at the summit include enhanced blocking tools and warning systems designed to restrict stranger interactions with teens. The platform has implemented advanced signal detection that triggers warning messages when teens receive communications from previously blocked or reported users, or locations outside their typical network.

The company also introduced new location-sharing capabilities within Family Center, Snapchat’s parental control hub. This feature allows parents to request location sharing from their teens via the Snap Map.

Existing platform safety measures include private friends lists, restrictions on direct messaging from non-contacts, and default privacy settings that limit location sharing.

Snap highlighted its cross-sector partnerships, including collaborations with Safe and Sound Schools on an educator toolkit and the Department of Homeland Security’s “Know2Protect” campaign on teen online safety education.

The summit represents part of Snap’s ongoing effort to maintain relationships with law enforcement authorities while enhancing platform safety features. The company’s Safety Operations teams respond to user reports and third-party safety concerns while actively working to identify and remove harmful content and actors from the platform.

“Looking ahead to 2025, we know that more work lies ahead,” said Rachel Hochhauser, Snap’s Head of Safety Operations Outreach, in a news release. “Our thanks to summit participants for their active participation and engagement as we continue to build a productive relationship with law enforcement authorities around the world to protect our community.”

Snap recently reported that Q3 revenue increased 15% to $1.37 billion as daily active users grew to 443 million, a 9% year-over-year increase. The platform saw significant growth in content engagement, with total viewing time increasing 25% year-over-year. The Snapchat+ subscription service attracted 12 million subscribers in Q3, more than doubling year-over-year.