Are You Familiar with the Telephone and Cell Phone Policy of Port St

Telephone and Department-Issued Cell Phone Policy for Port St. Lucie Police Department

• Telephones are an important means of communication between the public and the police, and citizens have the right to expect prompt and courteous service.
• Department employees must exhibit courtesy at all times while using the department telephone system or department-issued cell phones and should identify themselves by providing a personal greeting.
• Department-issued cell phones will be distributed based on the needs of the agency to carry out its mission or enhance job performance and/or safety, and only authorized personnel may authorize their issuance.
• Members who have been issued cellular telephones are responsible for the reasonable care of the equipment, and damage or loss due to negligence may result in disciplinary action and/or require reimbursement.
• Authorized use of the cellular system will be limited to official police business and occasional personal calls necessary when working environment creates unforeseen circumstances that conflict with prearranged personal obligations.
• Communication related to government business must be preserved under public records laws, and text messages made and received from a department-issued cell phone will be automatically captured via the message archiving system of the cell phone provider.
• Communication related to government business from a personal device are considered public record and are not exempt from public disclosure.
• A documented review of text messages transmitted and received from department-issued cell phones will be conducted quarterly by the Accountability and Analysis Supervisor through random selection.
• A documented review of electronic transmissions transmitted and received by detectives assigned to the Special Investigations Division will be conducted quarterly by the Special Investigations Division Commander.
• Text messages should be transitory in nature, only being used for quick, casual conversation and should not be used to discuss extensive city business, cases, or investigations.
• The City IT department will download to the City server all text messages sent and received through department-issued cell phones at the conclusion of each year, and text messages will be retained until obsolete or until all administrative value is lost.
• Accountability for all calls initiated or received on the cellular system is the responsibility of the member that the telephone is assigned, and supervisors are responsible for recognizing and limiting excessive usage of cellular telephones by their subordinates.