Social Media Terms of Use
By posting or commenting on any social media platform used by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, you participate by your own choice, taking personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information you provide therein. You further agree to the following terms of use: The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office maintains a social media program for the purpose of engaging and interacting with our community, providing relevant and timely community news, information and events, distribution of crime prevention and public safety tips, for urgent notifications of critical incidents which may affect residents, business owners and visitors of Charlotte County. Limited Public Forum
All social media platforms used by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office are designated as Limited Public Forums. The agency welcomes a person’s right to express his/her opinion and encourages posters to keep comments relevant to the topic in question. Posting of any content on any social media platform used by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, by any visitor, follower, subscriber or fan, constitutes acceptance of the terms of use described here in this policy. For purposes of this policy, a social media platform is the website or app offered to the public to provide audio, video, still-photo or written communication between other members of the public and/or representatives of certain groups, businesses, organizations or agencies. Examples of social media platforms include Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, website blogs with commenting capabilities, forums and emergency notification services. The definition of content as used in this policy refers to any written copy, photos, graphics, videos, live-video streams, comments or any form of communicative content exchanged between parties. Emergency or Non-Emergency Requests for Police Assistance
The posting of requests for police assistance, regardless if it is of an emergency or non-emergency nature, is discouraged and will not guarantee a response by the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office or any emergency service provider. If you wish to report a crime or information relevant to a crime, please call 941-639-2101. In the event you post information related to a crime, you may be placing yourself in a position of becoming a witness and subject to being subpoenaed into court. Endorsements
“Friending” or “Liking” the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, or an officer or employee of the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, does not indicate an endorsement of that person’s actions or comments. A comment posted by a member of the public on any Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office social media site is the opinion of the commentator or poster only. Publication of a comment does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, nor do such comments necessarily reflect our opinions or policies. Moderation of Content
The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office’s social media platforms are intended to be "family friendly." The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office does actively monitor its social media platforms and will mask from public view any inappropriate content as defined below, without prior notice, and as soon as possible:
Comments not related to the original topic, including random or unintelligible comments;
Profane, obscene, or pornographic content and/or language;
Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, or national origin;
Threats to any person or organization;
Comments in support of, or in opposition to, any political campaigns or ballot measures;
Solicitation of commerce, including but not limited to advertising of any business or product for sale;
Conduct in violation of any federal, state or local law;
Encouragement of illegal activity;
Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as a copyright, of any party;
Harassment or content which constitutes and/or facilitates stalking;
Content which violates the right to privacy;
Encouragement of violence;
Repetitive content;
Comments that are objectively false in nature, misinformation, or disinformation;
Comments that may reasonably interfere with, inhibit, or compromise law enforcement investigations, police tactics, police responses to incidents and/or the safety of police staff and officers. Posts or comments that contain any external links. Commenters who wish to ensure that their remarks will be viewable on the Sheriff's Office social media pages should confirm that their comments comply with the above policy and are posted as a direct stand-alone comment on a topic.
