Policy Text
Social Media Policy
1. Content Policy Advisement: The purpose of this social media site is for the Riverside
County Sheriff’s Department to share news and information regarding the activities, policies
and programs of the Department and its employees. We encourage discussion and
comments on posts. Your insights are important. However, please be aware that this site is
designed and maintained to provide a limited public forum where content is subject to
reasonable regulation.
2. Advisement on Public Comment and reports: Please DO NOT use this site to report
criminal activity. If you need an immediate response to a question or immediate assistance
from the Riverside Sheriff's Department in any way, please call our Dispatch at (951) 776 -
1099 or, if it is an emergency, dial 911. Before posting a comment, please note: The
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department will review all comments after posting. The
Department reserves the right to remove and/or otherwise restrict comments, or even the
ability t o post comments in the future, based on content containing any of the following:
- Comments unrelated to the purpose and topical scope of the social media site.
- Obscenity, pornography or otherwise sexually explicit in nature.
- Promotion of illegal activ ity, including but not limited to, solicitations to commit criminal
conduct or incitement to imminent lawless action.
- Speech presenting a grave and imminent threat, abusive or fighting words.
- Fraudulent claims or defamatory comments (e.g. libel or slan der).
- Promotion or advertisement of a business or commercial transaction.
- Promotion in favor of, or in opposition to, a candidate campaigning for election to a
political office. - Copyrighted or trademarked material (if posted without the intellectual
property right holder’s consent).
- Comments that violate the host site’s terms of service and/or community standards rules.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department recognizes that social media tools are available
24 hours a day, and we welcome comments at any time within the limitations indicated
herein. However, given the need to manage resources, the moderation and posting of
comments will ordinarily occur during regular business hours. Comments submitted after
hours or on weekends or holidays will be read and posted as soon as possible if they meet
the aforementioned criteria; in most cases, this will mean the next business day.
3. Privacy Advisement: To protect your personal privacy and the privacy of other persons,
the Sheriff’s Department recommend s that people do not include personally identifiable
information, such as full name, Social Security number, phone numbers, addresses, or e -mail
addresses in the body of their comments. If comments include personally identifiable
information, it may not be posted. Note: Neither the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department,
nor any of its members, will ask for your personal information via any social networking site,
through the official Riverside County Sheriff’s Department page, or any page maintained by
any other unit or person employed by the Sheriff’s Department.
4. Endorsements Advisement: Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or
other non -governmental organizations or individuals that remain on this site are provided
solely for inform ational purposes, or provided by the web hosting service. Such references
are not an official or personal endorsement by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department of
any product, person, or service.
5. Contact & Privacy Advisement: Members of the public s hould be aware that information
shared through this site may be subject to release through the California Public Records Act
(Government Code §§ 6250 et seq.). Please note that communications made through social
media channels, will not constitute legal or official service, notice or comment to the
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department or any official or employee. While it is necessary for
the Riverside County Sheriff's Department to impose reasonable restrictions in regulating a
limited public forum, it do es not mean that we do not want to hear from members of the
public. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department encourages feedback, whether
commendations or criticism, and we want to hear your ideas and opinions. You can contact
the Riverside County Sheriff 's Department by
visiting http://www.riversidesheriff.org/contact/ .