(a) Employees are prohibited from using City computers or cell phones/devices for any unauthorized purpose, including the participating in social media or social networking.
(b) Employees are prohibited from using any social media or social networking platform while at work. Police officers may seek permission from the Mayor to use social media or networking for investigative or for public information purposes.
(c) Unless granted explicit permission, employees including police officers of the City are prohibited from posting any of the following in any social networking platform, either on their own sites, the sites of others known to them, the sites of others unknown to them, news media pages, or other information exchange forums:
(1) Any text, photograph, audio, video, or any other multimedia file related to any investigation of the police department, both current and past.
(2) Any text, photograph, audio, video, or any other multimedia file related to any past or current action of the City police department, either in homage or critique.
(3) Any text, photograph, audio, video, or any other multimedia file that is related to any City department business or event.
(d) Employees who choose to maintain or participate in social media or social networking platforms while off work shall conduct themselves professionally and in such a manner that will not reflect negatively upon the City or its mission. In the course of operating or participating in such venues, the following rules shall apply:
(1) Employees will be held responsible for the content that appears on their maintained social media or social networking sites and will be obligated to remove any posting or material contributed by others that reflects negatively upon the City.
(2) Sexually graphic or explicit material, of any kind, shall not be posted by the employee on any form of social media or social networking sites.
(3) Sexually graphic or explicit material posted by others to the employee's social media or social networking sites shall be immediately removed.
(4) Weaponry, owned by the City, shall not be displayed or referenced to, in any multimedia format, on social media or social networking sites.
(5) Weaponry, privately owned by any police officer, shall not be displayed or referenced to, in any multimedia format, on social media or social networking sites if such displays or depictions promote a disparaging image to the City.
(6) Any text, photograph, audio, video, or any other multimedia file included on a social media or social networking site that infers, implies, states, opines or otherwise expresses the employee's views on the public shall not be detrimental to the City's mission now shall it, in any way, undermine the public's trust or confidence of the City departments.
(7) Any text, photograph, audio, video, or any other multimedia file included on a social media or social networking site that infers, implies, states, opines or otherwise expresses the employee's views on the legal, judicial or criminal systems shall not, in any way, undermine the public's trust and confidence of the City departments.
(8) Any posting that detracts from the City department's mission will be considered a direct violation of this policy.
(e) Employees who are brought under administrative or internal investigation related to their performance, functionality or duties may be ordered to provide the City, or its designated investigator, with access to the social media and social networking platforms in which they participate or maintain.
(f) Employees who are brought under administrative or internal investigation related to the City's operation, productivity, efficiency, morale or reputation, may be ordered to provide the City, or its designated investigator, with access to the social media and social networking platforms in which they participate or maintain.
(g) If requested, any employee shall complete an affidavit attesting to all the social media and social networking platforms in which they mail or participate.
(h) Any candidate seeking employment with the City shall complete an affidavit attesting to all the social media and social networking platforms in which they maintain or participate.
(Ord. 2021-11-1. Passed 11-10-21.)