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Directory of Police Department Social Media Policies

Reporting suggests police department social media monitoring is widespread. The Brennan Center is building a database of these policies as a public resource.

Last Updated: May 25, 2022
Published: September 8, 2021

While anecdotal reports and some surveys suggest that the use of social media by local law enforcement is widespread, few details are known about how most police and sheriffs’ departments use social media for criminal investigations, public safety, and other types of information collection.

Through online research, the Brennan Center identified 35 publicly available policies governing these tools. This analysis indicates that even where a police or sheriff’s department has a policy in place, it rarely offers practical guidance to officers or notice to the public regarding how their social media data might be collected or monitored. The policies are linked below and broken down into the following categories:

  • contemplated uses for social media and requirements, if any, for use in investigations
  • authorization required for, and prohibitions on, use of social media
  • rules governing situational awareness and other non-investigative purposes
  • limits on covert and undercover activities
  • language addressing constitutional rights
  • restrictions on officers’ use of personal devices and accounts.

Police Department Social Media Policies

Please send any policies not included here to: gutierrezj@brennan.law.nyu.edu

Key:

Police department with available social media policy

States:

  • Alabama

    Alabama

  • Alaska

    Alaska

  • Arizona

    Arizona

  • Arkansas

    Arkansas

  • California

    California

  • Colorado

    Colorado

  • Connecticut

    Connecticut

  • Delaware

    Delaware

  • District of Columbia

    District of Columbia

  • Florida

    Florida

  • Georgia

    Georgia

  • Hawaii

    Hawaii

  • Idaho

    Idaho

  • Illinois

    Illinois

  • Indiana

    Indiana

  • Iowa

    Iowa

  • Kansas

    Kansas

  • Kentucky

    Kentucky

  • Louisiana

    Louisiana

  • Maine

    Maine

  • Maryland

    Maryland

  • Massachusetts

    Massachusetts

  • Michigan

    Michigan

  • Minnesota

    Minnesota

  • Mississippi

    Mississippi

  • Missouri

    Missouri

  • Montana

    Montana

  • Nebraska

    Nebraska

  • Nevada

    Nevada

  • New Hampshire

    New Hampshire

  • New Jersey

    New Jersey

  • New Mexico

    New Mexico

  • New York

    New York

  • North Carolina

    North Carolina

  • North Dakota

    North Dakota

  • Ohio

    Ohio

  • Oklahoma

    Oklahoma

  • Oregon

    Oregon

  • Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania

  • Rhode Island

    Rhode Island

  • South Carolina

    South Carolina

  • South Dakota

    South Dakota

  • Tennessee

    Tennessee

  • Texas

    Texas

  • Utah

    Utah

  • Vermont

    Vermont

  • Virginia

    Virginia

  • Washington

    Washington

  • West Virginia

    West Virginia

  • Wisconsin

    Wisconsin

  • Wyoming

    Wyoming