Clear social-media policies can help public-safety agencies avoid costly litigation
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Clear social-media policies can help public-safety agencies avoid costly litigation
However, in another scenario, it was the first responder’s job to take pictures. A California police officer arrived at the scene of an accident where a woman was decapitated. He took the pictures and later showed them to his friends. One of his friends put the pictures on social media, and the victims’ family saw the pictures online and sued.
“They did not just sue the agency—they sued the agency and the individual. He did not post the picture, but he shared the picture that was posted,” Campbell said. “Is anyone here signing up to be sued? The case eventually settled for $2 million.”
Campbell said that she was not sure whether the police officer is still employed, but the resulting lawsuit and trend of states passing legislation that is designed to limit public-safety workers’ use of social media demonstrates the need to implement—and strictly enforce—clear social-media policies.