1. Introduction:
All members of the County Police Department are to be reminded that ethical, professionalism, and
integrity are all characteristics of behavior that should be of importance. Members of this department
are held to a higher standard and are expected to display this while on or off duty. Acting as a police
officer extends beyond work hours and is expected 24/7, 365 days a year. The actions displayed are a
reflection of this department, whether beneficial or harmful, it establishes a reputation within the
community which is served by this department.
The developments and evolution of technology have become and invaluable resource to support the
communication and performance of duties in this department. Although highly useful, problems can
present themselves in opportunities detrimental to the department because of the misuse of this
technology in illegitimate methods. Employees are instructed to operate department equipment for it's
intended purposes and are restricted to using departmental devices for official business only.
2. Purpose:
The purpose of this policy is to establish rules and regulations concerning the utilization of social
networking sites, personal web pages, or other internet sits when referencing the County Police
Department. Furthermore, it is to ensure that all employees of the department display proper
discretionary use of reference to the County Police Department in order to not discredit or disrespect
the department, to secure the release of information containing official business pertained to crimes,
accidents, or violations of statutes to persons outside of the department, and that all information is to be
treated as confidential. Lastly, the policy is not intended or designed to obstruct or disrupt the
professional development of an employee.
3. Policy:
Social media provides a potentially valuable process of assisting the department as well as personnel in
connecting with the community, crime prevention, community policing, investigative and other related
objectives. This policy indicates potential uses that may be evaluated and expanded upon considered to
be logical by administrative and supervisory personnel. The County Police Department also recognizes
the role this technology plays in a portion of lives of department employees. The personal use of social
media can have a negative affect on the department employees in their official capacity. This policy
also provides precautionary information along with prohibited uses of social media by department
employees.
4. Policy Training
All employees will become familiar with and follow the provisions of this policy and receive training
pertaining to this policy. This will be provided by in service training, memos, and occasional network
reminders.
5.Definitions
In order to confirm that all employees are familiar with the types of social media, definitions are listed
to provide the information necessary to educate themselves on social media outlets.
Blog: A self-published diary or commentary on a particular topic that may allow visitors to post
responses, reactions, or comments.
Post: Content an individual shares on a social media site or the act of publishing content on a
site. Page: The specific portion of a social media page where content is displayed and then managed
by an individual with administrator rights.
Profile: Information an individual posts on him or herself on a social networking site.
Social Media: A category of Internet based resources that incorporate user generated content
and user participation. Examples included, but are not limited to, social networking sites (Facebook,
MySpace), micro-blogging sites (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), blogs, and news sites.
Social Networks: Online platforms where individuals can create profiles and share information,
socialize with others, and display content using many types of technologies.
Speech: Expression or communication of thoughts or opinions by spoken word, in writing, by
expressive conduct, such as symbolism, photographs, or videotapes, along with related forms on
communication.
Web 2.0: Term used interchangeably with social media which can be a second generation
focused on sharable content.
Wiki: website that can be edited collaboratively by any individuals.
6. On the Job Use
A. Department Authorized Presence
The County Police Department social media pages will incorporate and introductory statements that
provide a clear and specific term of use and purpose of the departments presence on the website. As
well as a link to the department's official website. Social media content will follow applicable laws,
policies, and regulations including information technology and management policies. It will be stated
that opinions expressed by visitors to the page do not reflect the opinions of the department. The
comments or posts by individuals will be monitored by the administrative personnel and the department
has the right to remove any posts or comments that they determine as offensive or inappropriate.
Department personnel representing the department through social media will conduct themselves
respectfully at all times. All employees will adhere to departmental standards of conduct and display
professional behavior to the standard of the department. Each individual will identify themselves as a
member of the County department. There will be no statements will be made regarding the the guilt or
innocence of a suspect or arrested person as well as any other information that is considered
confidential. The use of department technology, such as computers, is prohibited to access social
media unless authorization is appointed. Authorization will be based on situational circumstances. The
use of personal devices to manage department social media is prohibited unless written permission is
granted. All employees will observe and abide by all copyright, trademark, and service mark
restrictions on posting any material to electronic outlets.
B. Potential Uses
1. Searching for information in regards to; missing or wanted persons, crimes perpetuated online,
photos or videos of a crime posted by a participator, and any gang participation.
2. Reach out to the community in or to; utilize community policing, provide crime prevention tips,
online reporting opportunities, sharing crime maps, and also providing soliciting tips or
information on unsolved crimes.
3. Notify the community of; road closures, school closures, weather emergencies, and missing or
endangered persons.
4. It can be utilized by posting job ads and recruitment ads due to the numerous internet searches
for finding and applying to jobs.
7.Personal Use
When using social media, employee personnel are authorized to represent themselves as private
citizens. Individuals may do so as long as their speech does not compromise the department, obstruct
investigations, or impair the working environment/relationships.
It is to be remembered that department personnel should use caution regarding speech whether on or
off duty. Speech may not be protected under the First Amendment rights and individuals could be
disciplined accordingly by the department.
Department personnel should not disclose any information pertaining to direct relation to their
employment on any social media outlet unless authorized by the department.
For safety considerations, personnel should not disclose their occupation within the department along
with not uploading any images in their uniform or logos of the department.
All employees should remember that when using speech on social media it becomes a part of the world
wide domain. Use caution and adhere to call rules and regulations within conduct of this department.
Department personnel are prohibited from: speech containing acts of obscene or sexually explicit
language, as long with images pertaining to those characteristics, or speech that includes other
employees along with behavior that would be considered reckless or irresponsible. Doing so could
undermine or impeach the testimony in criminal proceedings. Disciplinary action will be authorized
when necessary, which can include termination.
No employee should post any information gained by their authority or that could reflect the views or
positions of this department without authorization.
Department personnel are notified when they may be subjected to civil litigation for; defamation of
character, posting private information about an individual without their consent, using another
individual's identity for exploitative purposes, or committing plagiarism.
Employees should be aware that privacy settings within social media change frequently and their posts
will not always be private or protected.
Anything posted by an employee can and will be accessed without warning if necessary.
Employees should also be aware that if they discover illegal or violations within the rules and
regulations, if not reported, they can be considered guilty by association.
References
Policy Development. IACP Center for Social Media. Retrieved on November 22, 2017 from
www.iacpsocialmedia.org/gettingstarted/policydevelopment/
Building your presence with Facebook pages: A guide for police departments. IACP Center for Social
Media. Retrieved on November 22, 2017 from http://www.iacpsocialmedia.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/01/FacebookPagesGuide.pdf
