go-78.pdf

\n\n--- Page 1 ---\n\nTALLAHASSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT GENERAL ORDERS SUBJECT Social Media Protocols CHIEF OF POLICE Signature on File Proudly Policing Since Nationally Accredited 1841 1986 NUMBER ORIGINAL ISSUE CURRENT REVISION TOTAL PAGES 78 11/14/2014 05/09/2016 6 AUTHORITY/RELATED REFERENCES City of Tallahassee Administrative Policy 408, Social Media and Collaboration City of Tallahassee Administrative Policy 706, Working Conditions General Order 19, Digital Devices and Media General Order 42, Impounding and Controlling of Property and Evidence General Order 46, Rules of Conduct General Order 77, Computer and Data Utilization ACCREDITATION REFERENCES CALEA Chapter 26 KEY WORD INDEX Authorized Utilization of Personally-owned Equipment Procedure IV Department-related Use of Social Media Procedure II General Guidelines Procedure I Prohibited Conduct Procedure III POLICY The Department shall establish procedures addressing member utilization of social media and social networking insofar as it affects its members, the Department and the City of Tallahassee, and the policing profession. Members are responsible for adhering to the established social media and social networking protocols in the course of their official duties and at other times when so directed by this policy. DEFINITIONS Off-duty: When a member is not engaged in on-duty or secondary employment activity.\n\n--- Page 2 ---\n\nTALLAHASSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT On-duty: When a member is working their regular duty assignment or any special assignment compensated by the Department. Post: Content an individual shares on a social media site or the act of publishing content on a site. Secondary Employment: Any employment with an entity other than the City of Tallahassee where a condition of the employment is the actual or potential use of law enforcement powers by the member. Social Media: A category of Internet-based resources that integrate user-generated content and user participation. Social Networking: The Internet activity involving the utilization of online platforms to create profiles, share information, and socialize with others using a range of technologies. Speech: Expression or communication of thoughts or opinions in spoken words, in writing, by expressive conduct, symbolism, photographs, videotape, or related forms of communication. PROCEDURES I. GENERAL GUIDELINES A. The Department supports each member’s freedom to engage in social media and social networking activities while off-duty. B. Members are responsible for ensuring their off-duty social media and social networking activities adhere to established rules of conduct as outlined in General Order 46 (Rules of Conduct). C. Members are cautioned their on-duty and off-duty speech made pursuant to their official duties (i.e., it exists because of the member’s Department responsibilities) is generally not protected speech under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. D. Members should expect any information created, transmitted, downloaded, exchanged, or discussed on a social media or social networking site or platform may be accessed by the Department at any time without prior notice. E. A member having knowledge of any violation of this written directive shall notify their immediate supervisor for follow-up action. GENERAL ORDER 78 PAGE 2 of 6 SOCIAL MEDIA PROTOCOLS MAY 9, 2016\n\n--- Page 3 ---\n\nTALLAHASSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT 1. The notification shall occur promptly. 2. If more appropriate due to the circumstances of the violation, the member may notify their supervisor’s supervisor. II. DEPARTMENT-RELATED USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA A. The approval authority for Department-related social media and social networking activities rests solely with the Chief of Police or appointed designee, and may include: 1. Overt activities (e.g., Public Information Office), 2. Covert activities (e.g., Criminal Investigations Division), and 3. The utilization of City of Tallahassee (COT) equipment for such activities. B. Members involved in Department-related social media and social networking activities are responsible for the following: 1. Adhering to the established rules of conduct as outlined in General Order 46 (Rules of Conduct). 2. Abiding by all copyright, trademark, and service mark restrictions. 3. Not using speech containing obscene or sexually explicit language, images, acts and statements except as warranted in certain covert activities. 4. Not using speech that ridicules, maligns, disparages, or otherwise expresses bias against any person or persons based upon race, creed, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, social or citizenship status or any protected class of persons under federal laws. C. Members are not authorized to utilize personally-owned equipment to manage any Department-related social media and social networking activity. D. The prohibition in subsection C above is not applicable to a member’s interaction with a Department-related social media or social networking site or platform when off-duty (e.g., posting on the Department’s Facebook page). GENERAL ORDER 78 PAGE 3 of 6 SOCIAL MEDIA PROTOCOLS MAY 9, 2016\n\n--- Page 4 ---\n\nTALLAHASSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT E. Members involved in Department-related social media and social networking activities are responsible for ensuring such activity is not disruptive to the work environment. III. PROHIBITED CONDUCT A. Members shall not access, post to, or otherwise utilize any social media or social networking site or platform while on duty or engaged in secondary employment except for: 1. A purpose authorized in section II A above, or 2. Other Department-related endeavors (e.g., check of a weather or news website that features a social media or social networking platform) when such access: a. Is brief, b. Does not interfere with the member’s work assignment, c. Is not disruptive to the work environment, and d. Does not involve the member posting to the site or platform. B. Members are prohibited from utilizing COT equipment to participate in any social media and social networking activity except as authorized in section II A above. C. Unless for a purpose authorized in section II A above, members shall not post, transmit, or otherwise disseminate to any social media or social networking site or platform: 1. Information to which they have access as a result of their COT employment. 2. Opinions about any encounter with the public as a result of their job- related function, whether on-duty or while engaged in secondary employment. 3. Any photograph/digital image, video, or sound recording of incident scenes, crime scenes, or traffic crash scenes, and of: a. Persons, vehicles, facilities, and evidence related to those scenes, and GENERAL ORDER 78 PAGE 4 of 6 SOCIAL MEDIA PROTOCOLS MAY 9, 2016\n\n--- Page 5 ---\n\nTALLAHASSEE POLICE DEPARTMENT b. Statements, comments, and investigative and prosecutorial efforts related to those scenes. D. Members shall not create, post, respond to, modify, or in any way participate in, or take ownership of, information or images on any social media or social networking site or platform which could be reasonably interpreted as: 1. Bringing discredit to the City of Tallahassee, the Department, or the policing profession, 2. Jeopardizing any member’s safety, or impeding any member’s job performance, 3. Damaging any mission, function, or planned action of the Department, 4. Adversely affecting the outcome of a criminal or administrative investigation, 5. Impairing the harmony among members, or 6. Adversely affecting the Department’s professional relationships with other public service entities. E. Except as described in section IV below, members are not authorized to utilize personally-owned equipment to capture or create photographs/digital images, videos, or sound recordings of incident scenes, crime scenes, traffic crash scenes, or persons, vehicles, facilities and evidence related to those scenes. IV. AUTHORIZED UTILIZATION OF PERSO