policy development on the use of social media

POLICY DEVELOPMENT 8

Policy Development on Use of Social Media

CJUS 520

Policy development on use of social media by police officers

This paper addresses the effect of social media in police officers and the organizations at large and the effective strategies for mitigation. Social media has become one of the most common methods of communication than experienced before. Accesses to the internet at personal levels have increased exponentially over the recent past years improving various modes of internet communications. This scenario has affected a majority of people worldwide to the extent that it is becoming part and parcel of our daily life. The police officers are not left out in this. People from all over the world and several organizations of all kinds are now using social media platforms for various purposes (Smith, 2009). Despite this advantage, it also has some disadvantages such as the rise in criminal’s activities and abuse by various staff and organization officers. This has made it important for the government and the concerned organizations to implement and enforce laws to curb the avenues for uninterrupted communication between the public so as to help solve the criminal issues through investigation (Crump, 2011). The police department, for instance, has been observed to indulge in a lot of social media misuse. Major emphasis on law enforcement should be put to the officers who use social media platforms inappropriately so as to reduce the risks that arise from the social media.

Social media may be used in several ways including departmental use. Social media tools can be vital in the daily enforcement of law and operation. The departments may use the social media to acquire evidence during the investigation of a particular matter (Meijer, 2013). Also, information on wanted persons or internet crimes such as cyber bullying and stalking may be found on the social sites. Social network profiles also help in most developed countries to provide evidence in cases engaging child abuse. In spite of this benefit, some individual use the social networks as platforms to express their views and ideas which is very much protected by the U.S Constitution. Conversely, some people misuse this fact and even go ahead to write articles and comments that impose disorder. In such instances, the police department is forced to take legal actions to restore order (Crump, 2011).

Some employees would wish to create social network accounts for the benefit of their employers or agency. Such ideas should be considered and authorization issued by the concerned administration. It should also be noted that when such occurs, strict monitoring should be done to ensure that the individual doesn't use the agency details for illegal use (Smith, 2009). The relevant stakeholders together with the public information officer should put measures to help train such people. Also, the public information officer should verify the staff and confirm the authorization to use social media tools, organization domain as well as associated user account. Many citizens today use social networks for the individual purpose of personal benefit. Much of these activities are good while others may be considered as detrimental to the police department. The main reason for this is because of may reveal sensitive information in the due process. Bloggers can associate themselves with information that is susceptible to the police department or even reveal facts or plans to be taken by police departments. Furthermore, the internet users may go ahead to disclose the details of officers that are working under cover. This may impose a great challenge to the entire police fraternity. Also, some individuals use the social networks for sexual communications.

Numerous court cases handle issues with employee's use of internet accounts to communicate unwanted sexual pictures, videos, and other relating materials (Meijer, 2013). This is a great offense in the police department and may damage the agency reputation. Therefore, such acts are prohibited to the police officers. Among the millions who use the social networks are the law enforcers. Thus the officers should be careful on their post be in on duty or off duty. This is because the majority of the social site users are keen on watch and any improper posting of the officials could land them in a dangerous situation. The officers should also be notified that pictures or videos posted can go viral regardless of privacy settings.

Currently, numerous organizations can deal with proper law enforcement with the aim of reducing the misuse of social media by the police officers. This, however, can only be made effective through introducing policies and legislation that are geared towards the protection of the rights of the officers and the organization at large. The enforcers should ensure that the whole process is a win-win situation at all times (Trottier, 2012). Additionally, regular monitoring and checkups of the police officers accounts will be important in ensuring that everything is in order. No officer will be allowed to use words inappropriate to the general public, post photos, videos, suspects, weapons and other police facilities on their social media accounts. Further, officers should not post statements or comments that concern their seniors or fellow officers, use unprofessional language or involve on social media platforms for own activities while on duty. Research shows that there is an absence of stating the key purpose and use of social media platforms by law enforcers. This has greatly contributed to the misuse of the social media platforms by the police officers. Despite introducing the regulatory guidelines for the officers to reduce social media misuse, it is also necessary to train the officers on the effects and use of the platforms (Smith, 2009). Knowledge is power, and by training them, the officers will have informed minds to avoid misuse of the social sites.

Training of the officers can be achieved in two major steps. One is the addressing of the vital issues that involves the general use of computers, smartphones, social media security and the need for internet privacy (Trottier, 2012). The training programs and curriculums should be recurrently updated to streamline with the improving levels of technology. Also, the training should be practicable so as to enable easy implementation of the knowledge by the officers in their day to day lives. Once educated, the officers will be in a position to take the initiative of protecting their social accounts as well as be good ambassadors for their organizations of work.

Secondly, it is crucial to notify the police officers to take keen of their social media platforms at all times and more especially during the period of governmental administration. During these times, the concerned individuals may take a keen interest to follow personal social media accounts of the police officers just to get information. Interviews conducted with the leaders of police departments indicate that most police officers use social media inappropriately while on duty and the situation could get out of control if nothing is done. It may lead to a destruction of the image of the agency and arrest of police officers (Crump, 2011). During the interview, the police departments noted that most officers regularly use social media sites and are unable to control whatever they post. Because of this, it is wise to create awareness first bearing in mind the fact that young police officers are getting into the law enforcement and are susceptible to social media sites (Trottier, 2012). Moreover, the department said that the only best and effective method to reduce police officers involvement in social media was through training, just as mentioned earlier. Therefore, after training the police officer, they should observe the rules to the letter and any act contrary to this may lead to necessary disciplinary action (Meijer, 2013).

Conclusion

The research and observations made have clearly shown how social media platforms contribute both positively and negatively to the society. Social media has greatly improved communication in the entire world. However, use of social media by police officers poses a significant negativity if not properly used. This situation could worsen in the coming days and therefore need an urgent address. The only strategy that is most suitable to address this is by training the police officers on the wise use of the social site, the importance of internet security and privacy (Trottier, 2012). Knowledge is power. Therefore if knowledge is well used, it could help to regulate the actions of police officers in the misuse of social media.

Bible Verse About Social Media

Romans 1:28-32(ESV) states, “And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, and ruthless. Though they know God's decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.”

References

Crump, J. (2011). What are the police doing on Twitter? Social media, the police, and the public. Policy & Internet, 3(4), 1-27.

Meijer, A., &Thaens, M. (2013). Social media strategies: Understanding the differences between North American police departments. Government Information Quarterly, 30(4), 343-350.

Policy Development – IACP National Law EnforcementPolicySocial Media. (2010).Social Media

Smith, J. C., Snider, D. E., & Pickering, L. K. (2009). Immunization policy development in the United States: the role of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Annals of Internal Medicine, 150(1), 45-49.

Trottier, D. (2012).Policing social media. Canadian Review of Sociology/Revue Canadienne de Sociologie, 49(4), 411-425.