Directive 6.10 created on May 26, 2011 which indicates Philadelphia Police officers the best practices for participating with law enforcement officers in social networks, has been compromised.
Comparing the results of the Plain View Project with the rules of conduct on social networks for law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania’s most populous city, put in a difficult situation (poner en aprietos) those agents who expressed their opinions about race, gender or violence on Facebook.
The point is that eight years ago the Philadelphia Police Department regulated the conduct that its officers must observe in the use of social media.
However, not only a group of the force did not attend to Directive 6.10, which was meticulously drafted during the “blackberry” fashion, but what is even more worrying , there was no chat monitoring on social networks to prevent the police institution from falling into this reputation crisis in which its members have been involved.
The last revision to Directive 6.10 was dated on June 7, 2012. The document covers four explanatory points regarding the purpose of the rules. It also states two points as “background” that specifies to the officers that the reason for regulating content on social networks is that each member serves as an ambassador of the Department.
Even for those members of the police department who have little concern for modern technology, Guideline 6.10 provides them with seven definitions that place information on the “common horizon” of each of its members.
Point 4 of Directive 6.10 sets out what could be the ’10 commandments’ for social media policy:
It is the policy of the Philadelphia Police Department that all existing laws, rules, regulations, and directives that govern on- and off-duty conduct are applicable to conduct associated with social media and networking.
1. It is the policy of the Philadelphia Police Department that all existing laws, rules, regulations, and directives that govern on- and off-duty conduct are applicable to conduct associated with social media and networking.
2. When engaging in social networking, employees will strictly adhere to any and all of the following:
2.1 Existing federal, state, and local laws.
2.2 Policies of the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Police Department.
2.3 Laws relating to public information on arrests, investigations and personnel data.
2.4 Employees are prohibited from using their status as members of the police department to endorse any product or service without prior written permission from the Police Commissioner or their designee.
3. Employees are prohibited from posting images of police personnel working in an undercover capacity or identifying such personnel as law enforcement officers.
4. Employees are prohibited from using City of Philadelphia or Philadelphia Police Department property (on- or off-duty) to engage in personal use of social media.
5. For the purpose of this policy, City and Police Department property includes, but is not limited to, desk- top computers, lap-top computers, cell phones, hand-held digital or electronic devices (e.g., Blackberry phones), and digital storage media.
6. While in on-duty status, employees are prohibited from using privately-owned property to engage in personal use of social media.
7. Employees who are off-duty, and using privately-owned property to engage in the personal use of social media, do not represent the City of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Police Department, or any official position maintained by either entity. Under such conditions, employees represent only themselves and their personal interests.
8. There is no reasonable expectation of privacy when engaging in social networking online. As such, the content of social networking websites may be obtained for use in criminal trials, civil proceedings, and departmental investigations.
9. Employees are prohibited from using ethnic slurs, profanity, personal insults; material that is harassing, defamatory, fraudulent, or discriminatory, or other content or communications that would not be acceptable in a City workplace under City or agency policy or practice.
10. Employees are prohibited from displaying sexually explicit images, cartoons, jokes, messages or other material that would be considered in violation of the City Policy Preventing Sexual Harassment in City Government.
Translated by: José Espinoza
Noticias Newswire
