Policy Text
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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2.7 Public Information and Community Relations: Public Information
2.7.2 Guidelines for Disseminating Public Information (Revised: 2/6/25 )
A. The University of California, San Francisco designates the UCSF Office of
Communications as having primar y responsibil ity for working with the press and media.
The Office of Communications is responsible for determining the publicity value of
stories, along with the method, time and outlets for dissemination of stories.
B. The Chief of Police or his/her designee liaison s with the Office of Communications on
the prepar ation and releas e of information on Department issues , major crimes and other
newsworthy events.
1. During non -business hours, the on -duty member of the Command Staff shall act
as the Chief’s designee in regard to public information issues.
2. In the event of a major incident, which, in the judgment of the Watch Commander
or senior officer on scene, shou ld be brought to attention of the Chief or his/her
designee (e.g., arson, explosion , civil disturbance ), the Chief of Police or his/her
designee and the Office of Communications shall be notified immediately. In the
event of a less serious incident , the Ch ief of Police or his/her designee will be
informed , and t he Chief or his/her designee will then determine if the Office of
Communications shall be contacted .
a. The Chief of Police and the Office of Communications shall be notified
immediately whenever media personnel are present at the scene of UCSF
Police activity.
b. The Office of Communications maintains a 24 -hour line to allow for
immediate response and cooperative action.
3. Appropriate communications , news briefings and media releases will be planned ,
in cooperat ion, by the Chief of Police and the Office of Communications .
C. Police Department personnel shall extend full cooperation to members of the media,
providing it does not jeopardiz e the successful investigation or prosecution o f a police
case. Any information release shall be reported to the Chief of Police as soon as practical.
Any questions about the appropriateness of providing information to the media shall be
referred to the Chief of Police and /or the Office of Communicatio ns.
D. In instances where members of the Police Department are either actively involved in or
have just concluded a police action, care should be exercised before talking with media
representatives. In such instances, members will consult with their immediate supervisor,
Watch Commander or the Office of Communications before releasing any information.
E Department members should only release information to the media in accordance with
the following guideline s:
1. In cases involving the arrest of a person :
University of California, San Francisco
Police Department General Orders
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a. Name, age, residence and employment of the arrestee
b. Charge or charges
c. Amount of bail or conditions of release, date of scheduled court
appearance and place of detention
d. General information regarding both the nature of the complaint and the
victim
e. Identity of the investigating and arresting agency and duration of the
investigation
f. Circumstances of the arrest, including time, place, resistance, pursuit and
weapons used
g. Information necessary to enlist public assistance in apprehending fugitives
h. Upon request or out of public necessity, a mug shot or photograph of the
arrestee .
2. In cases involving a deceased person :
a. The following information may be released:
(1) Deceased person ’s name, age, residence, marital status,
employment and similar biographical information
(2) Location of the person at the time of death
(3) In case of an accidental death or confirmed suicide, the
circumstances surrounding how death occurre d, once the cause of
death has been satisfactorily determined by medical examiner or
autops y.
b. When the cause of death is undetermined, such as in a case of suspected
suicide or homicide, a news release will be prepared following the
procedures in this General Order.
c. Information may be released only after the Medical Examiner or Coroner
has contacted the person’s immediate next of kin.
3. In cases in which a member is the subject of a formal investigation and the
member or his/her representative knowingly makes a false representation
regarding the investigation to a media source, information from the member’s
personnel file sufficient to refute the false representati on may be released.
4. Certain information shall not be released to the media or publi c, including:
a. Prior to a trial:
(1) The c ontents of a confession or whether or not a confession was
made
(2) Opinions about the arrested person’s character, guilt or i nnocence
(3) Predictions concerning the anticipated outcome of the trial
(4) Statements pertaining to the credibility of anticipated testimony or
the truthfulness of prospective witnesses
(5) Any description of evidence seized or the results of any analys es
conducted
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Police Department General Orders
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(6) Prior criminal charges or convictions, additional computerized
criminal history information or information on the
character/reputation of the defendant
(7) Photographs of the arrested person or suspect
(8) Judgments concerning evidence or a rgument s pertaining to the
case
(9) Evidentiary details that were excluded in prior judicial proceedings