Police jurisdictions nationwide have begun using a modern version of the "wanted poster," and Montgomery County is a leader in the trend, according to a report on the NBC Nightly News.

Police have begun posting surveillance video and police-car video on YouTube and asking the public for help in finding suspected criminals—a tactic that has paid off in dozens of cases across the country, correspondent Pete Williams said in Thursday night's report.

He said some 90 percent of police departments nationwide use social media in some form, often as a tool to catch criminals.

He cited a case in Germantown last year in which a flash mob formed to rob a convenience store. The crime was caught on surveillance video and broadcast by the police on YouTube.

"People in the community were able to view the video and then help us identify people in the video," Capt. Paul Starks, Montgomery County police spokesman, told NBC News.

Watch the broadcast report in its entirety here or see the accompanying NBC Nightly News video.