Policy Text
MEDIA RELATIONS
EFFECTIVE DATE: 01/01/03 STANDARD NO. 055 REVISED: _08/14/17
REPLACES: SOP Media Relations 13-01.4 – Rev. 01/01/03; Rev. 08/24/11;______
OBJECTIVE: To establish guidelines for disseminating information to the community, to the
media, and to other criminal justice agencies.
POLICY: It is the policy of the Homestead Police Department (HPD) to cooperate fully and
impartially with authorized news media representatives in their efforts to gather
factual public information pertaining to activities of the Department as long as
these efforts do not unduly interfere with Departmental operation, infringe upon
individual rights, or violate the law. No member of the HPD shall delay the
release of information in order to favor any particular news media representative or
agency, nor shall they seek publicity through the news media or furnish information
for the express purpose of seeking personal notoriety.
SCOPE: All employees of this Department shall be governed by the procedures set forth
below.
I. DEFINITIONS:
A. Public Information: Information that may be of interest to the general public regarding
policy, procedures or events involving the Department or other newsworthy information
that is legally protected, which does not unduly interfere with the mission of the
Department, infringe upon the rights of a defendant or compromise the legitimate safety
or privacy interests of officers, victims, witnesses, or others.
B. News Media Representatives: Those individuals who are directly employed by agencies
of the electronic or print media. Freelance workers in this field are to be regarded as
other members of the general public.
C. Public Information Officer (PIO): The Department’s public information officer(s) serves as
a central source of information for release by the Department and responds to requests
for information by the news media and the community.
D. Public Records Information: Original reports pertaining to traffic accidents,
miscellaneous incidents/complaints, arrests or other police department incident
information of a routine nature, or other reports, files, or information which are
considered public domain.
II. PROCEDURES:
A. Duties of the Officers and Civilian Employees:
1. When a request by the media is made for information concerning a police matter,
employees shall not release any information. Employees are to notify their shift
commander immediately of the request. The shift commander shall then notify a
member of the command staff.
Media Relations – SOP# 055
2. Crime or Incident Information:
a. A synopsis of the crime or incident will be released from the scene by the
PIO or a supervisor, upon request, to include:
(1) Type of incident;
(2) Date and time incident occurred;
(3) Location of occurrence (with the exception of addresses that may
lead to the identity of victims protected by state statute);
(4) Complainant/Victim (with the exception of victim identities protected
by law).
3. Photographing Prisoners:
a. News media photography of any individual in Department custody will not
be authorized within the police building. Federal prisoners in Department
custody may be photographed by the news media only upon authorization
of the arresting Federal agency or the U.S. Marshal. When escorting a
prisoner outside the police building, news media photography will not be
restricted. Department photographs of an arrested person may be
released (in accordance with State Statutes) as long as they do not
jeopardize the investigation.
4. Photographing on Private:
a. Photographing, filming, or videotaping on private property is prohibited,
unless the owner or legally authorized occupant is present and provides
specific verbal or written consent. It is the responsibility of the concerned
supervisor to ensure that the person granting consent to film has the
authority to grant such consent.
5. Photographing accident scenes:
a. Photographing injuries, including motor vehicle accidents, accident injuries,
and uncovered bodies will be at the discretion of the news media, provided
it does not interfere with rescue personnel or the investigation.
B. Duties of the Supervisor:
1. News Media Photography/Videotaping:
a. News media photography outside a crime scene will not be restricted.