Title: Social Media: Establishing Criteria for Law Enforcement Use — LEB
Headings: Social Media: Establishing Criteria for Law Enforcement Use
Social Media: Establishing Criteria for Law Enforcement Use
Understanding Social Media
Applying Social Media to Law Enforcement
Encountering Problems
Developing Solutions
“Departments that create a presence on social media sites open a new door of communication with the general public.”
Conclusion
Endnotes
“ [Social media] can help apprehend fugitives, single out associate suspects, link individuals to street gangs, and provide evidence of criminal activity.”

Content: Consideration must be given to protect the free speech rights of off-duty officers using their own computers. However, personnel who choose to provide information about their work on social media sites will be open to scrutiny from their departments. 16
Government entities can restrict the speech of their employees under certain circumstances, such as if the expression interferes with or compromises the mission of the department or brings into question the professionalism of the officers or the agency. 17 Social media policy should clearly delineate between protected free expression and the speech that could impact departments or officers. Agencies generally are permitted to regulate officers’ conduct on social media sites if the individuals list law enforcement as their occupation or post law enforcement-related content. Administrators must decide the conduct and information to regulate. Photos or videos of officers, suspects, evidence, police facilities, equipment, uniforms, or weapons
Employment, job assignment, work hours, or other related information
Public or nonpublic information regarding police reports, criminal history, arrests, or calls for police service
Profanity or unprofessional language and harmful images
Derogatory comments or images about superiors or coworkers
Work-related matters or other named officers in posts, blogs, or microblogs
Personal social media activities while on duty and with agency resources
Allowance by officers of the content of their social networking sites to be viewed by administrators during the course of an internal investigation
“Departments that create a presence on social media sites open a new door of communication with the general public.” An agency’s social media policy also should address the official purpose for use and the desired objectives. It should define the person or group authorized to create and maintain the social media presence on behalf of the agency. The policy also must provide guidance on what officers can share and when.