Policy Text
San Francisco Police Department 8.09
GENERAL ORDER Rev. 10/ 01/25
Eff. 11 /14/25
Page 1 of 3
MEDIA RELATIONS
8.09.01 PURPOSE
The San Francisco Police Department is committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of
the media to cover law enforcement and public safety incidents and events. This policy details
the Department’s obligations regarding media interviews and media access to major incident
scenes, crime scenes, and critical incidents, including incidents involving a hostage or barricaded suspect.
8.09.02 DEFINITIONS
A. Duly Authorized Representative of Media (Media Representative) – A person in
possession of current, valid credentials issued by the Department or other law
enforcement agency, or other identification establishing representation of news media,
whether print, television, or Internet media. "Freelance" media personnel, including reporters, photographers, videographers, bloggers, or vloggers, possessing identification that establishes their ongoing affiliation or employment with a news outlet should be considered duly authorized representatives of the media.
B. Media Relations Unit (MRU) – The Department’s primary point of contact for the news
media. The MRU’s primary function is to develop Department strategic messaging and disseminate information by issuing news releases and coordinating interviews and press conferences. A Public Informat ion Officer (PIO) from MRU is available 24 hours a day,
seven days a week.
8.09.0 3 POLICY
Members should provide appropriate access to media representatives as required by local, state,
and federal laws. Members shall contact MRU when situations arise not covered by this order.
Non-sworn members shall consult with MRU prior to releasing information or scheduling an
interview with the media.
8.09.0 4 RELEASING INFORMATION
A. Cooperation /Interviews – Members may speak with media representatives so long as it
aligns with the mission and values of the D epartment and does not reflect discredit or
jeopardize or interfere with investigations, operations, or officer safety (DGO 2.01, General Rules of Conduct) .
DGO 8.09
Rev. 10/ 01/25
Eff. 11 /14/25
Page 2 of 3 1. Members shall consult with the Lieutenant of the Homicide Detail prior to
speaking to the media regarding homicide case s.
2. Members shall contact the M RU prior to participating in a pre -planned interview
with a media representative.
3. Members shall contact MRU or the on- scene supervisor after providing
stateme nts to the media.
B. Releasing I nformation – See DGO 3.16, Release of Police Reports , for information that
may be withheld or must be released. In addition to those guidelines, members shall not:
1. Disclose or comment about the suspect’s criminal record.
2. Disclose the names of juvenile suspects or victims.
3. Disclose the names of deceased persons (suspects/victims) until the Office of the
Chief Medical Examiner confirms that the next of kin has been notified.
C. Questions – If a member receives an inquiry from a media representative and the
requested information is not covered in these guidelines, the member should r efer the
media representative to the member’s supervisor, the investigator assigned to the case, or
MRU .
D. Press Briefings – The Chief’s Office or MRU may hold official press briefings to
provide information about a specific topic or high -profile event to the news media.
During these briefings, a member or non- sworn member of MRU will pre -designate an
area which, in some circums tances, will be available to media representatives only.
1. If an attendee becomes disruptive and interferes with the dissemination of information and/or hinders another media representative’s First Amendment right to gather information, the Department retains the right to remove the disruptive person from the offi cial briefing area.
8.09.0 5 MEDIA ACCESS
A. Major & Critical Incidents – Media representatives have the right to gather and collect
information at major and critical incident scenes (PC §409.5) , so long as their
information gathering does not interfere with emergency operations.
1. Restrictions on media access may be imposed only for so long and only to the
extent necessary to prevent actual interference with emergency operations .
2. Major incident scenes shall not be designated crime scenes unless the
Commanding Officer at the scene has reasonable cause to believe the incident
may have been the result of criminal activity.
3. The Incident Commander should consult with MRU when determining a media
staging area location and always assume that any barricaded subject or hostage taker has access to live reporting.
DGO 8.09
Rev. 10/ 01/25
Eff. 11 /14/25
Page 3 of 3 B. Crime Scenes – The media does not have a constitutional right to enter and may be
legally kept out. Crime scenes located in publicly accessible areas may be opened for
media inspection after any search, preservation, and processing of evidence has been completed and containment ends (DGO 6.02, Physical Evidence and Scene
Preservation ).
C. First Amendment Activity – See DGO 8.03, Crowd Control .
8.09.0 6 PRESS VEHICLE PARKING
A. Generally, a vehicle operated by a media representative engaged in the gathering of news
is exempt from the provisions of the San Francisco Transportation Code , provided that a
press pass is properly displayed in