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Social Media Policy of the Norfolk Sheriff's Office

A.    Social media sites that are intended as a public forum shall contain a visible statement noting the purpose of the site is to promote effective communication between the NSO and the community. Interaction with the public is, or may be, a feature of a Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Facebook page. Viewpoints upon issues of public concern must comply with the policies set forth below taking into consideration the important component of First Amendment expression by the public and engagement upon issues of public concern.

B.    The following postings will be deemed to be in violation of this Policy:

     Content, postings, or comments shall not be related to:

    1.  Violence or incitement to violence
    2.  Offensive language or content of a sexual nature including nudity
    3.  Defamatory or libelous content not related to protected expression
    4.  Hate speech- a direct attack on persons based upon protected characteristics
    5.  Misrepresentation of identity
    6.  Comments or content that promote, foster, or perpetuate discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sex, national origin,  pregnancy status, age, sexual orientation, disability, veterans’ status, genetic information or any other characteristics protected by law.
    7.  Private/personal matters not related to a matter of public concern
    8.  Personal, sensitive, or confidential information
    9.  Advertising or links to other sites; spam
    10.  Illegal activity or the promotion of such activity
    11.  Promoting particular services, products, or organizations
    12.  Political activity unrelated to a comment on a matter of public concern
    13.  Infringement on copyrights or trademarks
    14.  Personally identifiable medical information
    15.  Information that may compromise the safety, security, or proceedings of public systems or any criminal or civil investigations

C.    It should be noted that for any social media site that is owned by Facebook, the policies of its own Community Standards may cause removal of a post under circumstances that are neither directed by or under the control of the Norfolk Sheriff’s Office or its agent’s servants or employees.