Policy Development Final

Social Media Policy Development for Law Enforcers
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Social Media Policy Development for Law Enforcers
The emergence of social media websites has made it possible for people, organizations, and businesses to enjoy greater connectivity. Since its advent, social media has served as a tool of for interacting with each other and keeping in touch. These sites allowed for more sharing of information at an enhanced pace, enhancing and developing relationships and assisting, families, friends, and co-workers stay connected. Groups or individuals can coordinate events, share videos or photos, as well as provide critical updates instantaneously. These sites can also act as a platform where groups and persons are able to express their freedom of expression, including their religious beliefs, opinions on governmental agencies or the government itself, or political ideals. Aside from individuals and businesses, policing agencies too are increasingly using social networks on the internet to interact with the citizens. Law enforcers use these sites to post details of criminal trends, provide tips that will help the citizens stay safe, and update the public on public events. The increased use of social media in law enforcement makes it necessary for the relevant agencies to come up with policies to safeguard the law enforcement practice as the law enforcers use these sites. This paper looks at some of the aspects that can be considered while developing a sound social media policy for law enforcers and law enforcement agencies.

Even though social media has become a valuable tool for both the law enforcing agents and the public, criminals also exploit these sites for the wrong reasons (Kerr, 2003). Criminals or terrorists could use these sites to plan or coordinate a robbery or terror attack (Thomas, 2003). As a result, any information that a law enforcer shares on these sites, especially official work sites, has to be carefully weighted. Otherwise, criminal gangs might take advantage of any leads or loopholes exposed by the shared information to device modes of conducting their illegal activities without being discovered (Lindsay, 2011). A sound social media policy should make sure that the information acquired from the sites for criminal intelligence and related investigative undertakings is used lawfully while still protecting the civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy of groups and individuals. Law enforcers can either craft such a policy or incorporate social media usage in the other policies that govern the general use of information within the agencies.
This policy should talk about how “information collected from social media sites can be used by law enforcers and the differing levels of engagement with subjects when law enforcement personnel” access these sites (US Dept. of Justice, 2013). The levels of engagement may be overt/apparent, covert, or discrete. The policy should also specify the requirements for one to be authorized to access and use the information at the various levels of engagement. The levels of engagement can be illustrated by an officer either being allowed to only view information that is available public sites or being allowed to build an undercover identity so as to interact directly with “identified criminal subjects online” (US Dept. of Justice, 2013). An articulation of the law enforcing agency’s levels of engagements and the requirements for one to be authorized to engage at certain levels is key to the personnel’s comprehension of how information from these sites can be lawfully used in the agency’s duties.
Social media amenities and sites should be seen as yet another instrument inside the investigative toolbox of law enforcers. As such, the relevant stakeholders should use it in a manner that follows the very principles that regulate all the other policing activities. That is, activities must be legal, and the personnel should have a clear “objective and a valid law enforcement purpose for gathering, maintaining, or sharing personally identifiable information (PII)” (US Dept. of Justice, 2013). Besides, any activity in law enforcement that involves undercover activity, including creating a secret social media profile, should address required activity documentation, supervisory approval, undercover behavior and processes audit, and periodic activity reviews (Crump, 2011). Also, law enforcement bodies should not be allowed to gather or maintain the social, political, or religious activities or opinions of any business, group, or individual unless there is a genuine reason “for the purpose of keeping the public safe” (IACP, 2010). The principles mentioned above help “define and place limitations on” the law enforcement activities, and to ensure that the civil liberties, civil rights, and privacy of” both groups and individuals are protected diligently as law enforcers use social media (Waters, 2012). In short, when law enforcers adhere to these principles, they ensure that their activities are undertaken with regards to the law and the community they took an oath to serve. As a result, they inspire the trust of the community and make them more ready and willing to participate in any activity that might make the work of law enforcers easy.
Key Elements that should be addressed by an Effective Social Media Policy
It should:
Make it clear that the usage of resources from social media will be consistent with the regulations, applicable laws, and other policies of the agency.
Clearly spell out when and if the usage of social media tools or sites, or information on these sites, is allowed according to the mission requirements and the legal authorities of the law enforcement agency.
Define and articulate the various levels of authorization required for law enforcers to utilize information from social media.
Make it particularly clear “that any information gathered from the social media” platform will go through an evaluation to establish the authenticity and dependability of both the source and the content (Surette, 2014).
Specify the storage, retention, and documentation needs related to the details collected from the social media sites.
Point out the purpose and reasons, if any, for law enforcers to use the information gathered from social media that are linked to their law enforcement duty while off-duty. It should also give clear direction as to how personal resources or equipment can be used for an authorized purpose of law enforcement.
Identify procedures for disseminating “investigative and criminal intelligence products that contain information acquired from social media, including the relevant limitations on the dissemination of personally identifiable information” (Surette, 2014).
In conclusion, social media sites have indeed taken an integral part in the undertakings of law enforcement agencies. They connect the institutions and the individual law enforcers with the people and the businesses in the communities that they are mandated to serve. However, criminals also find the social media platforms to be an easy avenue for plotting and coordinating their activities. They are always on the lookout for any loophole that they can exploit to ensure that their crimes are successfully orchestrated. As a result, law enforcement agencies have to develop a clear policy to govern the manner in which their personnel use the social media resources. This policy, while abiding by the agency’s regulations, must also protect the civil liberties, civil rights, and privacy of the individual officers and groups that it binds. If such a policy is followed and implemented to the letter, social media can be a very useful tool in fighting crime while ensuring that the officers involved have a safe and separate private life.
References
Crump, J. (2011). What are the police doing on Twitter? Social media, the police and the
public. Policy & Internet, 3(4), 1-27.
IACP. (2010, August 10). IACP-National Law Enforcement Policy Center-Social Media.
Retrieved April 8, 2013, from IACP social media: www.iacp.orgKerr, O. S. (2003). Internet surveillance law after the USA Patriot Act: The big brother that
isn’t. Available at SSRN 317501.
Lindsay, B. R. (2011). Social media and disasters: Current uses, future options, and policy
considerations.
Surette, R. (2014). Media, crime, and criminal justice. Nelson Education.
Thomas, T. L. (2003). Al Qaeda and the Internet: The danger of
“cyberplanning”. Parameters, 33(1), 112.
US Dept. of Justice, Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative, & United States of America.
(2013). Developing a Policy on the Use of Social Media in Intelligence and Investigative Activities: Guidance and Recommendations.
Waters, G. (2012). Social media and law enforcement. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 81(11),
1-5.