Social Media Policy

 POLICY:

Social media provides a new and potentially valuable means of assisting the department and its personnel in meeting community outreach, problem-solving, investigative, crime prevention, and related objectives. The department recognizes the personal use of these tools but it can equally have bearing on departmental personnel’s official capacity. As such, this policy provides information of a precautionary nature as well as prohibitions on certain manner in the use of social media by department personnel.

DEFINITIONS Social Media: A category of Internet-based resources that integrate user-generated content and user participation. This includes, but is not limited to, social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace), micro blogging sites (Twitter, Nixle), photo- and video-sharing sites (Flicker, YouTube), wikis (Wikipedia), blogs, and news sites (Digg, Reddit).

ON-THE-JOB USE (Department-Sanctioned Use):

 A. Department personnel representing the Department via social media outlets shall do the following: 

 i. Conduct themselves at all times as representatives of the department and, accordingly, shall adhere to all department standards of conduct and observe conventionally accepted protocols and proper decorum.

ii. Identify themselves as a member of the department. 

iii. Not make statements about the guilt or innocence of any suspect or arrestee, or comments concerning pending prosecutions, nor post, transmit, or otherwise disseminate confidential information, including photographs or videos, related to department training, activities, or work-related assignments without express or written permission from the Commissioner of Police. iv. Not to conduct political activities or private business through this means or use for personal gains or profit for himself, family members or friends. 

B. The use of department computers by department personnel to access social media is prohibited without authorization, whether on the Police Network or not. 

C. The use of personally owned devices by members of the department to manage the department’s social media activities or in the course of official duties is prohibited without express written permission from the Commissioner of Police.