Amherst Police Department - NY

It is not monitored 24/7. To report an emergency or in-progress crime call 9-1-1. For non-emergency complaints or questions call 716-689-1311. Social Media Customer Use Policy

Customer Use Policy
The Amherst Police Department (“APD”) engages customers through many digital outlets. Communicating with the police through social media further enables customers to connect with the police in a direct and meaningful way. Please be aware that when engaging with the APD over social media, you are agreeing to the following:

Commenting on an APD Social Media Site
APD shares information, images, and video with the public through external social media platforms. Comments made by the public to these sites are reviewed and, while comments will not be edited by personnel, a comment may be deleted if it violates the comment policy described here. Comments should be related to the posted topic for the APD’s social media page or post. APD social media platforms are not meant for comments that do not directly relate to the purpose or topic of the social media site or for administrative requests. For administrative questions or requests please visit the Town of Amherst Police webpage or call police headquarters at 716-689-1311 or email [email protected]. You are subject to the Terms of Service (TOS) of the host site. Information (photos, videos, etc.) you share with or post to official APD social media platforms is also subject to the TOS of the host site and may be used by the owners of the host site for their own purposes. For more information, consult the host website's TOS. APD social media accounts are not open to comments promoting or opposing any person campaigning for election to a political office, or promotion or advertisement of a business or commercial transaction. The use of obscene, threatening, or harassing language is prohibited. Personal attacks of any kind or offensive comments that target or disparage any ethnic, racial, age, or religious group, gender, sexual orientation, or disability status are prohibited. Comments advocating illegal activity or posting of material that violates copyrights or trademarks of others are prohibited. This comment policy is subject to amendment or modification at any time. User-Created Content
Users are welcome to submit or post content, including photographs and videos, to an official APD social media account where they allow users to post content, the content must meet the standards articulated in this Customer Use Policy and pertains to the subject of the social media site. Users may only post their own, original content. Reproduced or borrowed content that reasonably appears to violate third-party rights will be deleted. Social Media Disclaimer
Only certain types of speech are subject to government restrictions. The below is a narrowly-tailored disclaimer that balances the public's freedom of speech/expression with the Amherst Police Department’s legitimate governmental interest in hiding, removing, and/or deleting certain social media comments. [1]

The Amherst Police Department ("APD") endorses the secure use of social media to enhance and support APD program goals and objectives as well as to facilitate interaction with the community. There is no endorsement, implied or otherwise, by the APD of any fan posts, commentary, links, or photos. Writers/fans/followers are fully responsible for the content that they submit. Opinions expressed by the writers/fans are not the opinions of the APD and/or the Town of Amherst, New York. This social media site is intended to serve as a mechanism for communication between the public and the APD on the listed topics. Any comments submitted to the APD social media site are public records and may be subject to disclosure. [2]

Comments are important to us and others who read these pages. The APD seeks to ensure that this page and all posted comments are appropriate for, and respectful of, the diverse population that we serve, and that this environment is inclusive and safe for, and tolerant of, all participants. The APD reserves the right to hide, remove and/or delete posts that:

Contain hate speech;
•Incite illegal or harmful action, or are a clear violation of local, state, or federal laws;
•Are meant to provoke a violent response from another individual;
•Contain true threats wherein the speaker communicates an intent to commit an unlawful act of violence against a particular person, group, or entity;
•Are obscene;
•Contain personal identifying information of a third party;
•Contain threatening or harassing language and/or comments; and
•Contain proprietary information, intellectual property, and/or copyrighted or trademarked images or graphics that are posted without the approval of the owner.

[1] Social media posts should only be hidden, removed, and/or deleted consistent with the Amherst Police Department’s social media policy.
[2] New York Public Officers Law § 87, New York Department of State.