Social Media Policy
1. Content Policy Advisement: The purpose of this social media site is for the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department to share news and information regarding the activities, policies and programs of the Department and its employees. We encourage discussion and comments on posts. Your insights are important. However, please be aware that this site is designed and maintained to provide a limited public forum where content is subject to reasonable regulation.
2. Advisement on Public Comment and reports: Please DO NOT use this site to report criminal activity. If you need an immediate response to a question or immediate assistance from the Riverside Sheriff's Department in any way, please call our Dispatch at (951) 776-1099 or, if it is an emergency, dial 911. Before posting a comment, please note: The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department will review all comments after posting. The Department reserves the right to remove and/or otherwise restrict comments, or even the ability to post comments in the future, based on content containing any of the following:
- Comments unrelated to the purpose and topical scope of the social media site.
- Obscenity, po*******hy or otherwise sexually explicit in nature.
- Promotion of illegal activity, including but not limited to, solicitations to commit criminal conduct or incitement to imminent lawless action.
- Speech presenting a grave and imminent threat, abusive or fighting words.
- Fraudulent claims or defamatory comments (e.g. libel or slander).
- Promotion or advertisement of a business or commercial transaction.
- Promotion in favor of, or in opposition to, a candidate campaigning for election to a political office. - Copyrighted or trademarked material (if posted without the intellectual property right holder’s consent).
- Comments that violate the host site’s terms of service and/or community standards rules. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department recognizes that social media tools are available 24 hours a day, and we welcome comments at any time within the limitations indicated herein. However, given the need to manage resources, the moderation and posting of comments will ordinarily occur during regular business hours. Comments submitted after hours or on weekends or holidays will be read and posted as soon as possible if they meet the aforementioned criteria; in most cases, this will mean the next business day.
3. Privacy Advisement: To protect your personal privacy and the privacy of other persons, the Sheriff’s Department recommends that people do not include personally identifiable information, such as full name, Social Security number, phone numbers, addresses, or e-mail addresses in the body of their comments. If comments include personally identifiable information, it may not be posted. Note: Neither the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, nor any of its members, will ask for your personal information via any social networking site, through the official Riverside County Sheriff’s Department page, or any page maintained by any other unit or person employed by the Sheriff’s Department.
4. Endorsements Advisement: Any references to commercial entities, products, services, or other non-governmental organizations or individuals that remain on this site are provided solely for informational purposes, or provided by the web hosting service. Such references are not an official or personal endorsement by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department of any product, person, or service.
5. Contact & Privacy Advisement: Members of the public should be aware that information shared through this site may be subject to release through the California Public Records Act (Government Code §§ 6250 et seq.). Please note that communications made through social media channels, will not constitute legal or official service, notice or comment to the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department or any official or employee. While it is necessary for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department to impose reasonable restrictions in regulating a limited public forum, it does not mean that we do not want to hear from members of the public. The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department encourages feedback, whether commendations or criticism, and we want to hear your ideas and opinions. You can contact the Riverside County Sheriff's Department by visiting http://www.riversidesheriff.org/contact/.
