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Policy Development Draft Assignment
Kristi Campbell
Liberty University
CJUS 520
Dr. Pumphrey
February 9, 2025
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Abstract
This paper focuses on policy development regarding the use of social media for criminal justice
employees as well as the law enforcement organizations which they represent. It is important that
law enforcement agencies take advantage of the growth of social media that is available at their
fingertips. One specific area this paper focuses on is police officers abusing social media and the
consequences which they may face. Another area that will be expanded upon are the various
ways that social media can be used by law enforcement that have been beneficial which includes
community relations, recruitment, and investigations. It is important for law enforcement
agencies to develop and utilize a social media policy that emphasizes rules and regulations.
Included will be a sample social media policy for a law enforcement department.
Keywords: social media, policy development, law enforcement, organizations
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Policy Development Draft Assignment
Technology has been advancing tremendously in the past decade and that has resulted in
more law enforcement organizations utilizing social media. It is necessary that law enforcement
organizations are aware of what their employees are doing on social media as well as what the
department itself is doing on their own social media accounts. Social media can be very
beneficial for law enforcement organizations. Most people know what social media is, but there
are some who may not. Social media is defined as web-based platforms that encourage and
facilitate communication, interaction, and the creation and circulation of content within virtual
communities (Walsh & O’Connor, 2018). The use of social media by law enforcement
organizations can be beneficial but at the same time must be monitored for risks that may arise
from misuse.
Law Enforcement Abuse of Social Media
Police officers are held to a higher standard due to their profession, so they are expected to
behave accordingly when they are on social media commenting on other posts, sharing their own
posts, and simply sharing memes. They have the same constitutional rights as anyone else but
their expectations on social media are different than the average person. Police officer’s behavior
on social media not only is representation of themselves but it also is a representation of the law
enforcement agency they work for. Police officers also need to be careful what they post because
if it is in poor taste, it can affect their job as well as make the law enforcement agency that they
work for look bad. We live in a society that believes that the actions of one police officer
unfortunately reflects upon the behavior of all police officers.
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There is a webpage called “Plain View Project” which has made it their life mission to
collect social media posts and comments of current and former police officers. A group of
attorneys began the project in 2017 focused on collecting data from Facebook profiles of police
officers nationwide. “Plain View Project” was responsible for exposing crude and questionable
comments and posts on social media. According to “Plain View Project” their goal was to expose
police officers and their unacceptable posts on social media. The project ended up getting
thirteen Philadelphia police officers terminated in 2019 due to their social media posts.
Another example was from the Facebook page of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office. This
was a case of a law enforcement organization and a post they made on social media which was
not received very well by their community. The post was titled “Thug of the Week” and had
good intentions but unfortunately the community thought otherwise. The goal of the sheriff’s
department was to involve the community in helping to find a criminal who they had been
looking for. Unfortunately, many had thought the way they did it was in poor taste. According to
Corrigan (2020) due to the backlash the sheriff’s department ended up deleting the post and
issuing an apology to their community. Police officers as well as law enforcement agencies need
to remember that anything they post is considered public and always to be mindful of what they
post and to remember that everything they post will be scrutinized by the public.
Organizational Use of Social Media
If you have been on social media, I am sure you have seen social media accounts for law
enforcement organizations. They utilize social media to inform citizens when there is an
emergency or if there is a suspect they are looking for. Some law enforcement departments even
get rather humorous on their Facebook and X accounts. The use of social media for law
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enforcement organizations can be valuable in several ways. This includes using social media for
recruiting, improving community relations, and even notifying the community of current events.
More importantly, social media can assist law enforcement organizations with surveillance and
investigations.
The International Associate of Chiefs of Police (IACP) issued the Concepts and Issues
article in 2010 that focused on social media. According to the IACP (2010) social media is
providing greater access to information, allowing for greater accountability, fostering greater
transparency, promoting better communications, providing a vehicle for collaborative problem
solving, and encouraging broader participation. Many people believe that there is an invisible
gap between the community and law enforcement. With the use of social media, many think that
this gap is slowly being closed, and the community feels like they are helping law enforcement
solve crimes. Law enforcement has used social media to help share events that take place which
in turn can help increase funding to the law enforcement organizations.
New officer hiring has become a common posting on social media accounts for law
enforcement organizations. According to the IACP (2010) social media provides law
enforcement with the ability to inform, engage, and attract potential applicants on a whole new
level. Social media hiring posts by law enforcement organizations have provided potential
applicants with direct access to online applications which intuitively has made the process much
easier for interested applicants. And of course, the posts can be shared by anyone which can lead
to free advertising for the law enforcement organization and the ability to reach many more
potentially qualified candidates.
There is another positive aspect of law enforcement agencies using social media which I
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previously mentioned. Events within the community can be shared on the department’s social
media account. This can include roads closures, accidents, active threats to specific locations,
and if there has been an increase in specific crimes with a certain area. Finklea (2022) conducted
a survey asking people the reasons they use social media, and the most common response with
91% was notifying the community of public safety concerns. This allows members of the public
to stay informed with their community and be able to plan accordingly.
Social media has been instrumental for police officers especially when it comes to
investigations. Social media has been a superb tool as research has shown. Boateng and Chenane
(2020) conducted a survey in 2011 through IACP which asked 800 police departments what the
most common use of social media was for the department and 71% responded with aiding
investigations as the most common use of social media. The local police department where I live
utilizes their Facebook account to post pictures of suspects who they are trying to identify for an
investigation. Since I live in a small town where mostly everyone knows each other utilizing
social media to identify suspects has been extremely beneficial where I live.
Law Enforcement Best Practice for the Regulation Officer Social Media Activity
As I mentioned in the beginning of this paper, law enforcement is held to a higher standard
so their social media posts will always be scrutinized by the community. I spoke with an agent
named Josh Carpenter who works for Customs Border Protection and asked him about social
media use within the organization and the agents use of social media. He said that “having rules
and policy regarding social media is necessary for both the organization and the agents” (J.
Carpenter, personal communication, February 8, 2025). He also said that “it is important that if
an agent has a social media account that they are careful about what they post and to always
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remember that anything they post is considered public; nothing is private on social media (J.
Carpenter, personal communication, February 8, 2025). Obviously, law enforcement has a first
amendment right just like every other citizen but as I have stated multiple times, law
enforcement is held to a higher standard because of their profession and the power that they
have. There are many law enforcement officers that I personally know who either have
anonymous social media accounts or only use part of their name on their account. Also, many do
not list any personal information, including their employer.
If law enforcement organizations want to be reassured that their officers are maintaining a
professional image on social media, then creating and implementing a social media policy that
has been well written is necessary. Not only do they provide the policy to the officers but also
have them sign and acknowledge it and make it part of their employment record.
Departmental Policy Outline
The purpose of this policy is to address issues which are associated with officers’ use of
social media platforms and to provide guidelines for the regulation of the expression and speech
of the officers that represent the needs of the department. This policy in no way limits an officer
from speaking as a private citizen.
Prohibited Speech, Conduct, and Expression
To ensure that the reputation, function, professionalism, and mission of the organization is
not compromised the following are prohibited:
Speech or expression which is made in accordance to an official duty that will not damage
or compromise the reputation, function, professionalism, and mission of the organization.
Speech or expression which can have the negative appearance of the officer as a credible
witness.
Speech or expression which contradicts the organizations adopted Law Enforcement Code
of Ethics.
Speech or expression which represents a negative image of the organization leading to the
safety of officers and the organization.
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Privacy Expectation
All employees will have no privacy as it relates to items which they store, create, receive,
or send on the communication system or equipment of the organization. This includes the
following:
Computer
Email
Internet
Telephone
Fax
Voicemail
Conclusion
This paper focused on policy development regarding the use of social media for criminal
justice employees as well as the law enforcement organizations which they represent. Other areas
of the paper focused on law enforcement abuse of social media, law enforcement organizations
beneficial use of social media, the best practices for law enforcement organizations to regulate
the social media usage of police officers, and a sample social media policy for a law enforcement
organization. According to the IACP (2010) organizations must recognize the value that social
media has when it is used purposefully to achieve goals of the organization such as criminal
investigations, community outreach, officer and volunteer recruitment, and service development.
Police officers are held to a higher standard due to their profession, so they are expected to
behave accordingly when they are on social media commenting on other posts, sharing their own
posts, and simply sharing memes. The use of social media for law enforcement organizations can
be valuable in several ways. This includes using social media for recruiting, improving
community relations, and even notifying the community of current events.
More importantly, social media can assist law enforcement organizations with surveillance and
investigations. There are several scriptures which would be appropriate for the focus of this
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paper. “Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be
known.I$Therefore, whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you
have whispered inIprivate rooms shall be proclaimed onIthe housetops”
(ESV Study Bible, 2008, Luke 12:2-3). It is important for all police officers and law enforcement
organizations to remember that they are held to a higher standard and must always maintain
professionalism any time they are on any social media platforms.
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References
ESV Study Bible. (2008). Crossway Books.
Boateng,IF.ID., & Chenane,IJ. (2020). Policing and social media: A mixed-method investigation
of social media use by a small-town police department.IInternational Journal of Police
Science & Management,I22(3), 263-273.Ihttps://doi.org/10.1177/1461355720927429
Carpenter, J. (360-773-0842).
Complete collection-The plain view project. (2017, October 1). Plain View
Project.Ihttps://www.plainviewproject.org/
Corrigan,IH. (2020, December 21).I‘Basically cyberbullying’: How cops abuse social media to
publicly humiliate. The Appeal.Ihttps://theappeal.org/basically-cyberbullying-how-cops-
abuse-social-media-to-publicly-humiliate/
Finklea, K. M. (2022).ILaw enforcement and technology: Using social mediaI([Library of
Congress public edition].). Congressional Research Service.
International Association of Chiefs of Police. (2010). Social media concepts and issues paper.
IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center.
Walsh JP, O'Connor C. Social media and policing: A review of recent research. Sociology
Compass. 2019;13: e12648. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.1264814 of 14.
