Social Media Terms of Use
The Bethlehem Township Police Department 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 Bethlehem Township, and for those people having an interest in the Bethlehem Township Police Department. By posting or commenting on any social media platform used by the Bethlehem Township Police Department, 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:
Limited Public Forum
All social media platforms used by the Bethlehem Township Police Department are designated as Limited Public Forums. The department 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 Bethlehem Township Police Department, 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 departments. Examples of social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, 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 Bethlehem Township Police Department or any emergency service provider. In case of an emergency, or if police assistance is needed, please dial 911. If you wish to report a crime or information relevant to a crime, please call 610-759-2200 (Northampton County 911 & Communications). You may remain anonymous if you wish. 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 Bethlehem Township Police Department, or an officer or employee of the Bethlehem Township Police Department, does not indicate an endorsement of that person’s actions or comments. A comment posted by a member of the public on any Bethlehem Township Police Department social media site is the opinion of the commentator or poster only, and publication of a comment does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the Bethlehem Township Police Department, nor do such comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the Bethlehem Township Police Department. Moderation of Content
The Bethlehem Township Police Department 's social media platforms are intended to be "family friendly," When applicable, the department uses platform provided content moderation/filtering options to limit foul or obscene content. The Bethlehem Township Police Department does actively monitor the social media platforms used by the department, and will remove inappropriate content as defined below, without prior notice, and as soon as possible. The department shall reserve the right to remove and/or block anyone who posts inappropriate material as determined by the department. This material may include, but is not limited to:
1. Comments not related to the original topic;
2. Profane, obscene, or pornographic content and/or language;
3. Content that promotes, fosters or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, sexual identity or national origin;
4. Defamatory or personal attacks;
5. Threats to any person or organization;
6. Comments in support of, or in opposition to, any political campaigns or ballot measures;
7. Solicitation of commerce, including but not limited to advertising of any business or product for sale;
8. Conduct in violation of any federal, state or local law;
9. Encouragement of illegal activity;
10. Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
11. Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as a copyright, of any party;
12. Harassment or content which constitutes and/or facilitates stalking;
13. Content which violates the right to privacy;
14. Encouragement of violence;
15. Repetitive content;
16. Comments which 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.
17. Posts or comments that contain any embedded links to websites or applications. Photos or videos are not permitted without the consent of the subject of the photo or video. Additionally, photos and videos must comply with the policy set forth above. Denial of Access
The Bethlehem Township Police Department reserves the right to deny access to any Bethlehem Township Police Department social media sites for any individual, who violates the Bethlehem Township Police Department’s Social Media Terms of Use, at any time and without prior notice. If you wish to contest the removal or hiding of your content, or your denial of access ("banned") from our social media platforms, you may do so by contacting us at (610) 814-6410 and requesting to speak to a member of our social media team. Facebook's Community of Standards
All comments posted to any Bethlehem Township Police Department Facebook site are bound by Facebook’s Community Standards, located at http://www.facebook.com/communitystandards, and the Bethlehem Township Police Department reserves the right to report any violation of Facebook’s Community Standards to Facebook with the intent of Facebook taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. The Twitter Rules
When applicable, the Bethlehem Township Police Department reserves the right to report any violation of the Twitter Rules, located at https://support.twitter.com/articles/18311 with the intent of Twitter taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. YouTube Community Guidelines
When applicable, the Bethlehem Township Police Department reserves the right to report any violation of the YouTube Community Guidelines, located at http://www.youtube.com/yt/policyandsafety/communityguidelines.html with the intent of YouTube taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. Instagram Community Guidelines
When applicable, the Bethlehem Township Police Department reserves the right to report any violation of the Instagram Community Guidelines, located at https://help.instagram.com/477434105621119/ with the intent of Instagram taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. Pinterest Acceptable Use Policy
When applicable, the Bethlehem Township Police Department reserves the right to report any violation of the Pinterest Acceptable Use Policy, located at https://about.pinterest.com/en/acceptable-use-policy with the intent of Pinterest taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. LinkedIn User Agreement
When applicable, the Bethlehem Township Police Department reserves the right to report any violation of the LinkedIn User Agreement, located at https://www.linkedin.com/legal/user-agreement with the intent of LinkedIn taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. Questions
Should you have any questions in regards to items contained herein this Terms of Use, please contact the Bethlehem Township Police Department social media manager at (610)814-6410.
