61072824.pdf

\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDER TITLE ACCREDITATION Public Information CALEA 54.1.3 PRIOR REVISIONS PROPONENT UNIT 07/21/05, 08/18/08, Public Information Office (PIO)- 01/27/20, 08/19/21 Office of the Chief ATTACHMENT: NUMBER ISSUE DATE REVISION TOTAL PAGE 07/01/1998 DATE 54.1 16 07/15/2024 I. PURPOSE: The police department must have the support of the community in order to be successful. Establishing and maintaining an effective relationship with the news media is crucial to accomplishing this goal. This general order establishes guidelines regarding media relations and the release of information to the public through the news media. II. POLICY: It shall be the policy of this agency to cooperate with the news media and maintain an atmosphere of open communication. A positive working relationship with the media is mutually beneficial. To this end, information shall be released to the news media in an impartial, accurate fashion. It shall be the responsibility of each employee to abide by this philosophy. Additionally, no employee shall release any information that would jeopardize an active investigation, prejudice an accused person’s right to a fair trial, or violate the law. [CALEA 54.1.1] III. DEFINITIONS: Confidential Information: Information obtained by the Gainesville Police Department that is protected by state and/or federal law to the extent that the agency has an affirmative duty not to disclose and/or release Criminal Intelligence Information: Information with respect to an identifiable person or group of persons collected by a criminal justice agency in an effort to anticipate, prevent, or monitor possible criminal activity. Criminal Investigative Information: Information with respect to an identifiable person or group of persons compiled by a criminal justice agency in the course of conducting a criminal investigation of a specific act or omission. Exempt Information: Information that may or may not be disclosed under state and/or federal law, at the discretion of the agency. Social Media: On-line sources that integrate user-generated content and user participation and allow the user to communicate, share, and/or exchange information with others. Information may Page 1 of 16\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT include, but is not limited to, text, photographs, video, audio, and other multimedia files. This includes, but is not limited to, social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, and Instagram), microblogging sites (Twitter, Nixle), photo and video sharing sites (Flickr, YouTube), wikis (Wikipedia), blogs, and news sites (Digg, Reddit). IV. PROCEDURE A. Statements to the Media: 1. Official Statements: The Chief of Police / designee are solely authorized to make statements to the media regarding Department policies, philosophy, or enforcement procedures. 2. Expression of Personal Opinions: It is neither the City’s nor the Department’s intent to prohibit personal expression protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. i. Questions or concerns regarding such expressions shall be evaluated on a case by-case basis; ii. Employees will clearly express that they are providing personal opinion rather than the views, practices or policies of the Department or the City; iii. Employees in doubt as to whether their speech is protected under the First Amendment are directed to consult an attorney prior to offering the statement/opinion. 3. General Guidance Regarding Personal Expression: The following statement of law is provided by the City Attorney’s Office: “To be protected speech, the speech must be on a matter of public concern, and the employee’s interest in expressing himself or herself on any particular matter must not be outweighed by an injury the speech could cause to the interest of the City, as an employer, in promoting the efficiency of the public services it performs through its employees.” 4. Members of the Department shall treat bona fide representatives of the press and broadcast media in a courteous and professional manner. 5. Responsibility for Releasing Public Information: It is ultimately the responsibility of the Chief of Police to release information to the public. That responsibility may be delegated to the following personnel: i. The Public Information Officer (PIO), who is the primary contact for the news media. ii. Supervisors with responsibility for a specific case or incident may be the secondary contact for the news media in the absence of a PIO. 2\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT iii. The Chief of Police, PIO, or supervisors may direct other employees to respond to media inquiries. B. Public Information Office: The PIO shall: 1. Serve as the spokesperson for the Department; and, upon specific request by the Chief of Police, for the Chief of Police. 2. Be responsible for issuing statements and news releases on major events. 3. Arrange for, and assist at news conferences. 4. Serve as a liaison and refer members of the media to appropriate persons within the Department. 5. Manage the Department’s social media accounts. Refer to General Order 54.2 Social Media regarding Department- Authorized Use of Social Media. 6. Attend training and monitor best practices to ensure proper use of the Department’s social media accounts. 7. Assist during crisis situations within the agency. 8. Coordinate and authorize the release of information for press releases, statements, and interviews with the media in accordance with state law. 9. Coordinate releasable information in an attempt to avoid rumors/fear within the community. C. GPD Internal Request for Media Sharing or Posting: 1. Department members shall submit an email to gpdpio@cityofgainesville.com utilizing the request for media posting template on the intranet and attached to this policy. The decision to post or share the contents is at the discretion of the PIO. 2. Any requests for posting which contain photographs or videos of non-department members which are not related to a criminal case (i.e. community event) shall include a City of Gainesville Photograph Waiver. D. Media Inquiries: The agency shall respond to all media inquiries in a professional manner. During normal business hours, media inquiries shall be directed to the PIO. After hours, media inquiries should be directed to the shift commander. E. Interviews: The PIO shall be responsible for coordinating interviews on behalf of the department. Employees contacted directly by the media shall refer the media to the PIO or designee. The only exception shall be supervisors having authorization to release information directly to the media. All conversations with members of the news media should be considered “on the record” and are subject to being quoted. 3\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\nGAINESVILLE POLICE DEPARTMENT F. Investigative / Intelligence Information: Disclosure of active criminal investigative or intelligence information to the media shall be made only after consultation with the individuals responsible for the investigation or their supervisors. This information will only be released on cases over which the agency has jurisdiction unless there is concurrence from the primary law enforcement agency involved. The Public Information Officer must be notified as soon as possible when any information about an ongoing criminal investigation is released to the media. G. Joint Investigations or Operations Involving Another Agency: 1. In a multi-jurisdictional investigation, the lead agency is responsible for providing or coordinating the release of information. When the Gainesville Police Department is the primary agency involved in an incident requiring the assistance of other agencies, the Public Information Officer will coordinate all media related release of information. 2. When assisting other law enforcement or public safety entities considered the primary agency, the Public Information Officer will only release information to the media as dire