An important goal of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office is to support lines of communication with members of the public, and to do so with a level of transparency that encourages citizen interaction. The use of social media enhances our ability to do this, particularly through social networking sites like Facebook. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office offers Facebook as a public service to the c
ommunity. To report a crime, speak with a deputy, or for any other issue that requires law enforcement assistance, please dial 911. Postings made by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to our page are done so with the intention of providing the public with information we believe is important or newsworthy, and in certain cases is necessary to release in the interest of public safety. Therefore, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office reserves the right to limit posts from members of the public to those which directly relate to our postings, and which conform to our guidelines. It is not the intent of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office to provide a venue or forum for the expression and/or postings of unlimited comments, videos, or links simply for the convenience of the public. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office makes reasonable efforts to check all posts for accuracy, veracity, and completeness when posted; however we make no guarantees or warrant posting reliability. Postings are made in “good faith,” though circumstances may arise that cause details to change over time, with new information being developed. Should information from a posting change, become stale, or be deemed inaccurate, we will make reasonable efforts to update it as soon as practicable, upon such discovery. Under no circumstances will information be posted that compromises the safety of the public, Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputies, or members of other law enforcement agencies. In an effort to encourage law enforcement/citizen interaction and co-operation, we welcome the posting of relevant comments to our social media pages. However, comments made by users do not necessarily reflect the views of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office or its members, and shouldn't be deemed as an endorsement by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office or its members, nor should they be considered as being accurate or verified. This also applies to any advertisements or third-party links that may appear on our social media pages. All content on Columbia County Sheriff’s Office social media pages, to include user comments, is considered property of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and is subject to disclosure under the Florida’s Public Records Act. Comments posted on Columbia County Sheriff’s Office social media pages are not considered private and are available for viewing by anyone accessing said pages. We urge you to protect your privacy and not list any personal or sensitive information about yourself when commenting on a post. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office does not and cannot guarantee your privacy when using social media sites. Users should familiarize themselves with, and abide by, the terms and conditions set forth by Facebook when using those applications. At times, we may choose to reply to user comments to answer a question or to offer an update on a posting. Unfortunately we cannot reply to every comment, due to time constraints and other issues. Though we welcome your comments, there are certain guidelines we require when posting. Comments must not contain any of the following things:
1) Obscene, vulgar, s*xually explicit or otherwise offensive language/content, or links to such material;
2) Threats of any kind, particularly toward any other user or the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office and its members;
3) The advocating of criminal acts or other illegal behavior;
4) Material that has the potential to compromise public safety or the safety of law enforcement personnel;
5) Remarks that disparage or discriminate against anyone based upon their s*x, race, creed, religious views, national origin, s*xual orientation, disability, etc.;
6) Remarks that may be considered libel, made toward any person or organization;
7) Anything that is clearly off the intended topic of discussion;
8) Information that is clearly inaccurate, unverified, and purposefully designed to mislead others;
9) Campaigning of any type, political or otherwise;
10) Links to other third-party sites or advertisements;
11) Any form of solicitation; and
12) Any other language/material deemed inappropriate or offensive. Any comments that violate these guidelines may be removed by the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office at its sole discretion, and without prior warning or notice, but will be retained for the applicable retention period. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office also reserves the right to block access to our social media pages to any user who consistently violates these guidelines, without prior warning or notice. We understand that some topics may bring about strong feelings from users, but we ask that you please exercise good judgment, common courtesy and reasonableness when posting your comments. Thanks for your understanding in this matter. The Columbia County Sheriff’s Office reserves the right to make changes to these guidelines without notice, and when it becomes necessary to do so.
