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Policy 324Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/05/14, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentMedia Relations - 1Media Relations 324.1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE This policy provides guidelines for the release of official Department information to the media. It also addresses coordinating media access to scenes of disasters, criminal investigations, emergencies, and other law enforcement activities. 324.2 POLICY It is the policy of the Santa Monica Police Department to protect the privacy rights of individuals, while releasing non-confidential information to the media regarding topics of public concern. Information that has the potential to negatively affect investigations will not be released. 324.3 RESPONSIBILITIES The ultimate authority and responsibility for the release of information to the media shall remain with the Chief of Police. In situations not warranting immediate notice to the Chief of Police and in situations where the Chief of Police has given prior approval, Division Commanders, Watch Commanders, and designated Press Information Officers (PIOs) may prepare and release information to the media in accordance with this policy and the applicable laws regarding confidentiality. 324.4 ACCESS Authorized media representatives shall be provided access to scenes of disasters, criminal investigations, emergencies, and other law enforcement activities as required by law. Access by the media is subject to the following conditions (Penal Code § 409.5(d)): (a)The media representative shall produce valid press credentials that shall be prominently displayed at all times while in areas otherwise closed to the public. Media representatives may not bring or facilitate the transport of an unauthorized person into a closed area unless it is for the safety of the person. (b)Media representatives may be prevented from interfering with emergency operations and criminal investigations. 1.Based upon available resources, reasonable effort should be made to provide a safe staging area for the media that is near the incident and that will not interfere with emergency or criminal investigation operations. All information released to the media should be coordinated through the PIO or other designated spokesperson. (c)No member of this Department who is under investigation shall be subjected to media visits or interviews without the consent of the involved member (Government Code § 3303(e)). (d)Media interviews with individuals who are in custody should not be permitted without the approval of the Chief of Police and the express consent of the person in custody. Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Media Relations Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/05/14, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentMedia Relations - 2324.4.1 CRITICAL OPERATIONS A critical incident or tactical operation should be handled in the same manner as a crime scene, except the media should not be permitted within the inner perimeter of the incident, subject to any restrictions as determined by the supervisor in charge. Department members shall not jeopardize a critical incident or tactical operation in order to accommodate the media. All comments to the media shall be coordinated through a supervisor or the PIO. 324.4.2 TEMPORARY FLIGHT RESTRICTIONS Whenever the presence of media or other aircraft pose a threat to public or member safety or significantly hamper incident operations, the field supervisor should consider requesting a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR). All requests for a TFR should be routed through the Watch Commander. The TFR request should include specific information regarding the perimeter and altitude necessary for the incident and should be requested through the appropriate control tower. If the control tower is not known, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) should be contacted (14 CFR 91.137). 324.5 PROVIDING ADVANCE INFORMATION To protect the safety and rights of Department members and other persons, advance information about planned actions by law enforcement personnel, such as movement of persons in custody or the execution of an arrest or search warrant, should not be disclosed to the media, nor should media representatives be invited to be present at such actions except with the prior approval of the Chief of Police. Any exceptions to the above should only be considered for the furtherance of legitimate law enforcement purposes. Prior to approving any exception, the Chief of Police will consider, at a minimum, whether the release of information or presence of the media would unreasonably endanger any individual, prejudice the rights of any person, or is otherwise prohibited by law. 324.6 MEDIA REQUESTS Any media request for information or access to a law enforcement incident shall be referred to the PIO, or if unavailable, to the first available supervisor. Prior to releasing any information to the media, members shall consider the following: (a)At no time shall any member of this Department make any comment or release any official information to the media without prior approval from a supervisor or the PIO. (b)In situations involving multiple agencies or government departments, every reasonable effort should be made to coordinate media releases with the authorized representative of each involved agency prior to the release of any information by this Department. (c)Under no circumstance should any member of this Department make any comments to the media regarding any law enforcement incident not involving this Department without prior approval of the Chief of Police. Under these circumstances the member should direct the media to the agency handling the incident. Santa Monica Police Department Santa Monica Police Department Policy Manual Media Relations Copyright Lexipol, LLC 2024/05/14, All Rights Reserved. Published with permission by Santa Monica Police DepartmentMedia Relations - 3324.7 CONFIDENTIAL OR RESTRICTED INFORMATION It shall be the responsibility of the PIO to ensure that confidential or restricted