Pasco Sheriff's Office General Order 54.1

Pasco Sheriff's Office General Order 54.1

• Title: Public Information
• Effective Date: March 2, 2022
• Supersedes: November 24, 2021
• Accreditation Standards: CFA 1.06, 1.07, 32.05
• Number of Pages: 6

Purpose

• To establish guidelines for releasing information about Sheriff's Office matters.
• This order applies to all members.

Discussion

• Important to inform the public about law enforcement matters in a timely way, within legal limits.
• This general order addresses the public information function.

Policy

• Adheres to the limits of Florida Public Records Law (Chapter 119, F.S.), Florida Constitution Article I, Section 16, and other applicable laws.
• The Pasco Sheriff's Office will provide information to the public.

Procedure - General

• Only specific individuals (Sheriff, Chief Deputy, Bureau Commanders, Public Information Manager, and designated personnel) are authorized to release information to the public.
• An on-call Public Information Officer is designated to handle verified public safety issues outside of regular business hours.
• Investigative/intelligence information will be disclosed after consultation with those responsible for the investigation or their supervisors.

Public Information Office

• The Pasco Sheriff's Office has a dedicated Public Information Office with a Manager, Officer, and Social Media Coordinator.
• Responsibilities of these roles include assisting media, responding to public inquiries, preparing news releases (including social media), assisting at news conferences, coordinating releases within legal boundaries, and assisting during crises.
• Information concerning confidential information and operations must be coordinated and authorized according to state law.

Releasable Information

• Active criminal investigative and intelligence information are typically released unless restricted.
• Released information may include the classification of a charged crime, the time, date, location, and nature of a crime or incident/arrest, and includes the name, sex, age, and address of a person arrested (except when protected by state or federal law).

Non-Releasable Information

• Any criminal intelligence or investigative information (active or not) that could identify a victim of sexual offenses (child abuse/neglect), a suspect in a child abuse case prior to established probable cause, a juvenile with 3+ prior misdemeanor convictions, critically injured or deceased individuals (prior to notification), the cause of death (unless determined and not impacting investigation), personal opinions or comments not based on evidence.
• Results of investigative procedures (lineups, polygraphs, tests).
• Information that could interfere with an investigation (modus operandi, information only known to a suspect).
• Details of confessions and statements by the defendant.
• Witness information/testimony.
• Inmate identity of someone in the hospital.

Documents

• Incident reports and other records (exempt information may be excised).
• Closed professional standards investigations.
• Agency files (exempt information may be excised).

News Releases

• The Public Information Manager handles the preparation and distribution of news releases.
• Releases are based on information provided by involved personnel.
• Releases are distributed through social media, email, or other suitable methods.

Social Media

• The Pasco Sheriff's Office maintains a social media presence managed by the Social Media Coordinators.
• Only approved personnel post on the social media accounts.
• Social media postings follow the agency's Strategic Communications Guide.

Media Access to Incident Scenes

• Access may be restricted if safety is a concern.
• Any restrictions to crime scenes depend on the completion of the investigation.
• Media briefings may occur in certain circumstances.

Speeches

• No spokesperson will speak to a civic group, etc., without the appropriate authorization.

Training

• Personnel assigned to the Public Information Unit receive recurrent training.

Glossary

• Definitions for terms like "Commander," "Competent Authority," "Confidential Information," "Criminal Intelligence Information," "Criminal Investigative Information," "News Media", "Exempt Information", and similar terms are given.