Policy Text
Policy
204San Luis Obispo Police Department
San Luis Obispo PD CA Policy Manual
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/10/31, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by San Luis Obispo Police
DepartmentElectronic Mail - 1Electronic Mail
204.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
The purpose of this policy is to establish guidelines for the proper use and application of
the Department’s electronic mail (email) system by employees of this department. Email is a
communication tool available to employees to enhance efficiency in the performance of job duties
and is to be used in accordance with generally accepted business practices and current law
(e.g., California Public Records Act). Messages transmitted over the email system must only be
those that involve official business activities or contain information essential to employees for the
accomplishment of business-related tasks and/or communication directly related to the business,
administration, or practices of the Department.
204.2 EMAIL RIGHT OF PRIVACY
All email messages, including any attachments, that are transmitted over department networks are
considered department records and therefore are department property. The Department reserves
the right to access, audit or disclose, for any lawful reason, any message including any attachment
that is transmitted over its email system or that is stored on any department system.
The email system is not a confidential system since all communications transmitted on, to or from
the system are the property of the Department. Therefore, the email system is not appropriate
for confidential communications. If a communication must be private, an alternative method to
communicate the message should be used instead of email. Employees using the Department’s
email system shall have no expectation of privacy concerning communications utilizing the system.
Employees should not use personal accounts to exchange email or other information that is related
to the official business of the Department.
204.3 PROHIBITED USE OF EMAIL
Sending derogatory, defamatory, obscene, disrespectful, sexually suggestive and harassing or
any other inappropriate messages on the email system is prohibited and may result in discipline.
Email messages addressed to the entire department are only to be used for official business
related items that are of particular interest to all users.
It is a violation of this policy to transmit a message under another user’s name. Users are
strongly encouraged to log off the network when their computer is unattended. This added security
measure would minimize the misuse of an individual’s email, name and/or password by others.
204.4 EMAIL RECORD MANAGEMENT
Email may, depending upon the individual content, be a public record under the California Public
Records Act and must be managed in accordance with the established records retention schedule
and in compliance with state law.
San Luis Obispo Police Department
San Luis Obispo PD CA Policy Manual
Electronic Mail
Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/10/31, All Rights Reserved.
Published with permission by San Luis Obispo Police
DepartmentElectronic Mail - 2The Custodian of Records shall ensure that email messages are retained and recoverable as
outlined in the Records Maintenance and Release Policy.