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Policy Development

The development of sound policy is integral to efficient agency operations. As with many new technologies and issues, the use of social media requires a well-articulated policy that addresses the unique concerns and functions of a law enforcement agency. It is important to involve key stakeholders during policy development such as representatives from the legal and communications office for your agency or unit of government.

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Five Key Policy Considerations

  1. Scope. Determine what areas the policy needs to cover. Once the scope is determined, consider the areas below that apply to the areas you have chosen to cover in your policy.
  2. Official Use. Social media tools can be used for many purposes and are valuable for many day to day operational activities in law enforcement agencies. It is integral that authorization for and administration of any department sanctioned sites are clearly articulated.
  3. Personal Use. Content posted by law enforcement, even off-duty and under strict privacy settings, has the potential to be disseminated broadly and fall into the hands of defense attorneys, criminals, and members of the community. Any improper postings can ultimately affect an individual’s credibility, employment status, and their agency as a whole.
  4. Legal Issues. Issues such as First Amendment rights, records retention and public records laws, and other federal and state statutes must be considered while crafting a policy. Many legal issues surrounding social media have not yet been settled within the court system, so having clear guidelines in place becomes even more imperative.
  5. Related Policies. Many issues surrounding social media use may be resolved by citing other policies that are already in place within your agency, including Internet Use, Electronic Messaging, Code of Conduct, and Media Relations. The IACP’s National Law Enforcement Policy Center offers model policies on these topics.

Learn More:

Below you will find the IACP’s National Law Enforcement Policy Center’s model policy on social media and corresponding concepts and issues paper.  

Model Policy

Social Media Concepts and Issues Paper

Putting It Into Action

Glossary Terms

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Typosquatting: the act of registering the misspelling of a brand name or trademarked term in order to capture the Internet traffic from a legitimate entity.

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FAQ

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Can I change the URL for my Facebook page? Yes. Facebook allows Facebook page administrators to create a customized, or vanity, URL. This is helpful as vanity URLs are shorter and are easily recognizable, for example www.facebook.com/TheIACPPage, is much easier to use and understand than a long string of letters and numbers. To create a vanity URL, your Facebook page must have 25 likes. You can then go to www.facebook.com/username (you must be logged in to view the page and change your URL). Here you will create a unique URL that you can use to let you community know where to find you on Facebook. Once you set your user name, it cannot be changed.

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Fun Fact

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The creators of Instagram got the name from a combination of the fact that old Polaroid cameras marketed themselves as "instant" and the fact that they felt snapshots were like telegrams that got sent over the wire to others.

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