CJUS 520
Policy Development Final Assignment
Liberty University
CJUS 520
Abstract
Over the past several years social media has become a leading means for people around the
world to communicate with each other. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok,
and SnapChat have given people an avenue to express themselves by creating profiles and
sharing information and ideas with friends and family. Organizations are no different, and public
and private companies also use social media platforms to engage with the community and
provide a better customer experience. The same is true for criminal justice organizations. Law
enforcement has had a rough time in recent years trying to connect with the public and building
strong relationships within the community. Social Media is a valuable resource for law
enforcement by providing information and resources for the public. Law enforcement’s use of
social media has brought challenges to agencies. The main challenge is balancing individual
rights and meeting the needs of the community and adhering to the mission of the department.
The purpose of this paper is to provide examples of positive uses of social media by law
enforcement agencies, the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies, and how the public
employees are affected by Supreme Court rulings and policies of law enforcement agencies.
Policy Development Final Assignment
Social media has provided a great outlet for law enforcement organizations to connect
with their community. Departments have been seen on social media platforms such as Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram posting challenge videos of officers from departments from around the
world dancing to selected songs, which show a lighter side of police officers and to help
, communities connect with the officers who serve their community and to humanize the man or
woman behind the uniform.
In the last decade, social media has exploded as a resource for people to connect with one
another and to connect with groups and organizations that they had a vested interest. Similarly,
police departments use social media platforms to connect with their community with the idea to
foster strong relationships with community members, to raise awareness on day-to-day issues
taking place, and to develop crime prevention objectives for neighborhoods. At the same time,
law enforcement organizations must be aware of employees’ usage of social media and develop
policies, or guidelines, for the appropriate employee usage.
How Law Enforcement Regulates Social Media
Over the past several years agencies have adopted community policing strategies to
develop a relationship of mutual respect and communications in order to increase involvement
from both parties (Beshears, 2017). The popularity of social media has allowed law enforcement
agencies to engage with their communities in multiple ways, such as investigations, outreach,
and recruitment. The increased popularity of social media also means an increase by law
enforcement employees to engage in social media platforms on a personal level, which if
inappropriate content is posted by the employee, then the organization and the employee’s image
may be tarnished, or worse punished by lawsuits, terminations, etc (International Association of
Chiefs of Police (IACP), 2019). Therefore, it is especially important that agencies ensure they are
using social media professionally, morally, ethically, and within the confines of law.
Uses and Issues.
Social media platforms, as stated above, provide an excellent resource for law enforcement
for many purposes. Regardless of the usage, law enforcement agencies must be aware of the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which provides the public access to request records from
any government agency in order to keep citizens informed about the activities of their
Policy Development Final Assignment
Liberty University
CJUS 520
Abstract
Over the past several years social media has become a leading means for people around the
world to communicate with each other. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok,
and SnapChat have given people an avenue to express themselves by creating profiles and
sharing information and ideas with friends and family. Organizations are no different, and public
and private companies also use social media platforms to engage with the community and
provide a better customer experience. The same is true for criminal justice organizations. Law
enforcement has had a rough time in recent years trying to connect with the public and building
strong relationships within the community. Social Media is a valuable resource for law
enforcement by providing information and resources for the public. Law enforcement’s use of
social media has brought challenges to agencies. The main challenge is balancing individual
rights and meeting the needs of the community and adhering to the mission of the department.
The purpose of this paper is to provide examples of positive uses of social media by law
enforcement agencies, the challenges faced by law enforcement agencies, and how the public
employees are affected by Supreme Court rulings and policies of law enforcement agencies.
Policy Development Final Assignment
Social media has provided a great outlet for law enforcement organizations to connect
with their community. Departments have been seen on social media platforms such as Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram posting challenge videos of officers from departments from around the
world dancing to selected songs, which show a lighter side of police officers and to help
, communities connect with the officers who serve their community and to humanize the man or
woman behind the uniform.
In the last decade, social media has exploded as a resource for people to connect with one
another and to connect with groups and organizations that they had a vested interest. Similarly,
police departments use social media platforms to connect with their community with the idea to
foster strong relationships with community members, to raise awareness on day-to-day issues
taking place, and to develop crime prevention objectives for neighborhoods. At the same time,
law enforcement organizations must be aware of employees’ usage of social media and develop
policies, or guidelines, for the appropriate employee usage.
How Law Enforcement Regulates Social Media
Over the past several years agencies have adopted community policing strategies to
develop a relationship of mutual respect and communications in order to increase involvement
from both parties (Beshears, 2017). The popularity of social media has allowed law enforcement
agencies to engage with their communities in multiple ways, such as investigations, outreach,
and recruitment. The increased popularity of social media also means an increase by law
enforcement employees to engage in social media platforms on a personal level, which if
inappropriate content is posted by the employee, then the organization and the employee’s image
may be tarnished, or worse punished by lawsuits, terminations, etc (International Association of
Chiefs of Police (IACP), 2019). Therefore, it is especially important that agencies ensure they are
using social media professionally, morally, ethically, and within the confines of law.
Uses and Issues.
Social media platforms, as stated above, provide an excellent resource for law enforcement
for many purposes. Regardless of the usage, law enforcement agencies must be aware of the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which provides the public access to request records from
any government agency in order to keep citizens informed about the activities of their
