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Public Relations & Information

Version 8, transcribed verbatim from the source document. Hover a paragraph for a permanent link to it.

I. Functions of the Unit [FCAC 1.06]

A. Facilitates the release of all information to the public from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) to ensure consistency in messaging. B. Serves as the liaison between JSO and the media, coordinating interviews with members of the media. C. Assists other JSO units by vetting and providing guidance on the completion of any audio/video productions involving JSO. D. Manages all official JSO social media accounts and the JSO public website. E. Serves as the Public Information Officer (PIO) role at incidents that meet certain criteria, as well as large-scale preplanned events. F. Processes all public records requests submitted by media outlets. G. Receives crime tips from public sources (i.e., via Crime Stoppers, JSO Crime Tips, and all social media accounts) and routes them to the appropriate unit or investigator. H. Develops and supports JSO's marketing strategies for JSO-sanctioned events, programs, and publications. I. Reviews requests from outside organizations to form partnerships with JSO and/or use the JSO brand. J. Gathers input from the community to ensure citizens' concerns are being properly addressed K. Oversees the Meritorious Awards Program to ensure the exceptional work of members of JSO and the community are publicly recognized. L. Maintains the organizational chart for the agency. #

II. Hours of Operation and Callout/ Notification Criteria

A. Office Hours: Monday- Friday from 0800 to 1630 hours (excluding holidays). B. Office Contact Information: (904) 630-2133 or PIO@JaxSheriff.org. 1. Public Information Officers (PIOs): (904) 630-2133 or PIO@JaxSheriff.org. 2. JSO Public Relations Administrator: (904) 630-2102. 3. Public Accountability Records Administrator: (904) 630-8072. 4. Multimedia Specialist: (904) 630-8479. C. Callout/Notification Criteria 1. A PIO shall be notified immediately, 24 hours a day, via the Investigative Police Emergency Communications Officer (PECO), when any of the following types of incidents are reported and confirmed (upon notification, the PIO shall confer with the on-scene commanding officer to determine if the PIO's assistance is needed at the scene): a. Aircraft, boating, fire, gas leak, industrial, and railroad incidents involving: (1) Serious injury (necessitates admittance to a hospital) or death; (2) Missing occupants; (3) A large-scale evacuation; or (4) A significant impact to traffic. b. Escapes from JSO custody, including work release programs. c. Hazardous device incidents involving: (1) Threats to critical infrastructures or high profile facilities; (2) A located device; or (3) A large-scale evacuation. d. Kidnapping incidents where the person is still missing. e. Missing person incidents involving an accident, foul play, or any critical/at-risk circumstances. f. Officer-involved incidents involving: (1) The discharge of a firearm at an individual by a member of JSO; (2) A firearm was discharged at a member of JSO; (3) A traffic crash resulting in any injury requiring transportation by an emergency medical unit to a medical facility from the scene for treatment; (4) A traffic crash resulting in death; or (5) Any work-related action resulting in serious injury or death. g. In-custody deaths. h. Strikes or civil disturbances involving injury, death, or large-scale community unrest. i. SWAT callouts involving a barricaded subject or hostage. [CFA 13.05] j. Any other incident for which an on-scene commanding officer needs assistance in performing the public information function. If there is a question of response between the on-call PIO and the on-scene commanding officer, the Commanding Officer of Public Relations & Information Unit shall make the final decision on PIO response. 2. A PIO shall be immediately notified, via the Investigative PECO, when any active or former law enforcement personnel, or the spouses and children of such personnel, are admitted into a JSO corrections facility and have requested an eligible public record exemption under Florida State Statute (F.S.S.) 119. 3. All requests to use, or proposals to create, JSO logos, insignia, or branding materials shall be forwarded to the JSO Public Relations Administrator for approval, unless permission has been explicitly granted in the JSO written directives. #

A. Emergency Alert Radio System (EARS) Broadcasts

1. The EARS is a system used by the Communications Center to send basic incident information to the media, including the times and locations of JSO public statements on active incidents, as well as updates on traffic situations 2. The on-scene commanding officer has the primary responsibility for ensuring the EARS process is completed, with the exception of incidents to which the Homicide Unit or Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit responds. For those incidents, the responding Homicide Unit supervisor or Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit supervisor shall ensure the EARS process is completed. 3. The following incidents require an EARS broadcast and a public statement: a. Aggravated battery incidents being investigated by the Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit. With the approval of the Commanding Officer of the Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit, incidents with unknown basic incident information, such as an uncooperative victim with an unknown incident location, do not require a public statement. An EARS recap email shall still be sent to PIO@JaxSheriff.org. The recap should document all information that would have been released if a public statement had occurred; b. Hazardous device incidents involving: (1) Threats to critical infrastructures or high-profile facilities; (2) A located device; or (3) A large-scale evacuation. c. Homicide investigations involving homicides, deaths involving suspected foul play, or accidental deaths. An EARS broadcast or public statement is not done for deaths resulting from natural causes, overdoses, suspected sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), or suicide. d. Officer-involved incidents involving: (1) The discharge of a firearm at an individual by a member of JSO; (2) A firearm was discharged at a member of JSO while he was performing a law enforcement function; (3) A traffic crash resulting in serious injury or death; or (4) Any work-related action resulting in serious injury or death. e. Robbery investigations involving: (1) The robbery of a financial institution; (2) A suspect being caught in the act deemed noteworthy by the Commanding Officer of the Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit. An EARS recap email shall still be sent to PIO@JaxSheriff.org for a suspect caught in the act when no public statement take place. The recap should document all information that would have been released if a public statement had occurred; or (3) A robbery that resulted in a victim being transported to a medical facility for treatment. With the approval of the Commanding Officer of the Robbery and Violent Crimes Unit, incidents with unknown basic incident information, such as an uncooperative victim with an unknown incident location, do not require a public statement. An EARS recap email shall still be sent to PIO@JaxSheriff.org. The recap should document all information that would have been released if a public statement had occurred. f. Traffic homicide investigations involving a fatality, conducted by the JSO Traffic Homicide Unit. g. Any incident deemed noteworthy by the on-scene commanding officer or PIO. If there is a question of response between the on-call PIO and the on-scene commanding officer, the Commanding Officer of Public Relations & Information Unit shall make the final decision on PIO response. 4. Significant traffic delays and major roadway closures that have resulted from any law enforcement or traffic incident also require an EARS broadcast, but do not require a public statement. 5. When an incident qualifies for an EARS broadcast and a public statement, the PIO (or on-scene commanding officer if no PIO is responding to the scene) shall call the PECO Supervisor and provide the time, location, and point of contact for the public statement. The time selected should be at least 45 minutes from the time the EARS broadcast shall be sent and the location should be within reasonable proximity to the scene. [FCAC 13.05] 6. Officers shall ensure the media staging area is not located in front of victims' homes. [CALEA 54.1.3] 7. If the incident requires an EARS to be broadcast, any decision made to not issue the required EARS broadcast must be approved by the Commanding Officer of Public Relations & Information Unit, or his designee. [CALEA 54.1.1] 8. When another agency is primary on an incident, that agency shall determine if an EARS broadcast shall be sent. The point of contact for the EARS broadcast shall be a representative from the primary agency. [CALEA 54.1.1] #

B. Public Statements [CALEA 54.1.

1. Prior to providing a public statement subsequent to an EARS broadcast, the commanding officer or the PIO shall coordinate with any investigative unit responding to the scene to determine what should be released. Information that is deemed confidential by state statute shall not be released. 2. Public statements related to ongoing investigations should include the following basic information: a. Time the incident occurred; b. Location of the incident (use the general area such as the hundred block to avoid releasing a victim's specific location); c. A brief synopsis of the incident; and d. A description of any outstanding suspects or suspect vehicles. 3. Public statements should also inform the community of ways to report pertinent information regarding the incident, such as: a. The JSO non-emergency number: (904) 630-0500; b. The JSO crime tips email address: jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org; and/or c. The Crime Stoppers hotline: 1-866-845-TIPS. 4. None of the following information related to any ongoing investigation shall be released unless authorized by the appropriate investigative unit or a PIO: [CFA 1.07] a. The prior criminal record, character, or reputation of the accused; b. Photographs of the accused; c. The existence of any confession, admission of guilt, or statements or refusal of statements made by the accused; d. The results of any examinations or tests of the accused; e. The identity, testimony, or credibility of prospective witnesses; f. Opinions of agency members regarding the guilt or innocence of the accused or merits of the case; g. Personal information that would identify a victim; h. The name of the hospital(s) to which any involved party was transported; i. Personal information that would identify a juvenile; and j. Whether or not the accused is a member of a law enforcement agency. 5. Unless special circumstances dictate otherwise, PIOs and commanding officers are expected to honor the announced time of a public statement; they are not required to wait for other media outlets to arrive or to set up equipment. 6. When members of the media respond to an incident for which there was no EARS broadcast, commanding officers shall provide them with the same basic information they would provide subsequent to an EARS broadcast. If a commanding officer is not present, the primary officer shall request one to respond, through his supervisor, to issue a public statement. 7. No media outlet shall be given preferential access to information or be allowed to breach a crime scene perimeter. [CALEA 54.1.3] 8. Within 30 minutes of issuing a public statement, the PIO or commanding officer who gave the statement shall send a recap of all released information, including information released after the initial public statement, to PIO@JaxSheriff.org and CommCenterSupervisors@JaxSheriff.org. Recaps shall be relayed verbatim by the Communications Center to an email distribution list, so the recaps written must be formatted with appropriate content for the media or the public. 9. Recaps shall be written and submitted as described in this order, even when no media outlets arrive for the public statement. The recap should document all information that would have been released if the media representatives had responded. 10. Prior to releasing any information for incidents involving other public service agencies, the commanding officer or PIO shall consult with those other agencies to determine what information may be released. [CFA 1.07] #

C. Media Access to JSO Facilities

1. Members of the media who qualify under Florida State Statute (F.S.S.) may attend press conferences being held in secured areas of JSO facilities. They are required to display employer-issued photo identification while in the secured area. 2. All news conferences are recorded and uploaded to the JSO social media platforms. 3. Media requests to access the secured area of a JSO corrections facility shall be forwarded to PIO@JaxSheriff.org. Upon approval from the Sheriff or his designee, the Public Relations & Information Unit shall facilitate such facility access by members of the media. #

D. JSO Social Media Accounts [CALEA 54.1.1]

1. The following social media platforms are used by JSO to release official statements by the agency (the official JSO account names, if applicable, are in parenthesis): a. Facebook (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office); b. Twitter (@JSOPIO); c. lnstagram (JaxSheriff); d. YouTube (JaxSheriff); e. Nextdoor; and f. Linkedln (JaxSheriff). 2. All employees are encouraged to submit photos and stories for release through JSO's official social media accounts by sending an email with photograph attachments to PIO@JaxSheriff.org. [CFA 32.05] #

E. Community Input [CALEA 45.2.2]

1. To maximize JSO's effectiveness in its relationship with the community, all JSO members must encourage citizens to provide JSO with information on conditions in the community. Specific community concerns and suggestions, including information gathered at community meetings, on social media platforms, and during one-on-one interactions with citizens, should be sent to JSOFeedback@JaxSheriff.org. 2. The Public Relations & Information Unit shall review citizen concerns and ensure they are appropriately addressed by the appropriate unit. Using these citizen concerns and suggestions, the JSO Organizational Strategic Executive shall complete a quarterly Community Progress Report for the Sheriff. 3. Citizens Survey [CALEA 45.2.2] a. The Public Relations & Information Unit shall ensure a documented survey of citizen attitudes and opinions is conducted once every two years. This survey may be carried out directly by various units within the agency or by an external entity with agency guidance. b. This survey shall gauge the whole community on its opinion of JSO with respect to: (1) JSO's overall performance; (2) JSO members' overall competency; (3) JSO members' attitudes and behavior; (4) The overall safety and security of Jacksonville; and (5) Improvements JSO should consider in the future. c. The results of the survey shall be compiled in a written summary, which shall be sent to the Sheriff. #